The Demon of Champavata - the story of the most bloodthirsty man-eating tiger in history

The early 20th century coincided with an increase in incidents of tiger attacks on humans in many regions of India. But among the dozens of man-eating predators operating in the jungle, one tigress stood out in particular. She was called the Demon of Champavata, and a total of 436 victims of this bloodthirsty predator were documented. This made the tigress the absolute record holder among mammals for the number of kills. Even the notorious Beast of Gevaudan accounted for only 119 victims.

The story of the Demon Champawat began not in India, but in neighboring Nepal. In the early years of the 20th century, the number of deaths from tiger attacks in the country increased sharply. Over the course of a couple of years, about 200 local peasants living in the areas bordering India died. It soon became clear that only one predator was to blame - a large tigress.

Local authorities turned to the military for help. They staged a grand raid, but were unsuccessful. They only ensured that the tigress crossed the border and got lost in the forests of India. Soon she not only made herself known, but began to deal with people even more mercilessly.

The predator was named Demon Champavata in honor of the area where she hunted people. To get rid of the constant threat, in 1907 the Indians invited the famous British predator hunter, Colonel Jim Corbett. He was a brave and experienced hunter; more than once different provinces of the country hired him to get rid of dangerous tigers and leopards.

Corbett's arrival in the village coincided with another attack by a predator. The tigress killed a 16-year-old girl and dragged her body into the jungle. The hunter followed the bloody trail and managed to track down the Demon Champawat. But the animal turned out to be more cunning and itself ambushed the pursuer. Only skill and excellent use of weapons saved Corbett from death. He fired several shots at the attacking beast, but missed. That time the tigress managed to escape into the thicket unharmed.

But Jim Corbett never quit what he started. The next day he gathered a detachment of 300 people and returned to the battlefield. Having cordoned off a large area of the forest, the beaters were able to drive the tigress towards the brave hunter, who hit her with three bullets. The first two hit the tigress in the chest and shoulder, but did not stop him. The demon Champavata was ready to jump on the colonel, but the third bullet broke its paw and threw the beast to the ground. A moment later it was all over.

Immediately after a successful hunt, Corbett carefully examined the prey. He immediately found the reason why the tigress preferred people to wild animals. Her fangs were badly damaged, making it difficult to hunt strong and agile game. But the tigress could deal with a person jokingly, which is why she chose victims among the peasants.

Jim Corbett, or rather Edward James Corbett, killed 19 tigers and 14 leopards during his career as a man-eater hunter. He only hunted predators that attacked people. It is difficult to imagine how many lives the colonel saved in India and Nepal. He himself was a great animal lover, a keen naturalist and conservationist. That is why in India one of the national parks was named after him.