Beast of Gevaudan events
Beast of Gevaudan
First attacks of the beast
The first recorded attack of the Beast of Gevaudan took place in early summer of 1764 - young woman, who was tending cattle in the Mercoire forest near Langogne, saw the beast coming at her. However the bulls in the herd charged the beast keeping it at distance and after the beast made second attempt they then drove it off.
Soon after the beast killed her first known victim - 40-year-old Emmet Marden was killed near the village of Les Hubacs near the town of Langogne. Over the later months of 1764, more attacks were reported throughout the region. Very soon terror had gripped the populace because the beast was repeatedly preying on lone men, women and children as they tended livestock in the forests around Gevaudan.
The interesting part of those early reports is the fact that the beast seemed to only target the victim’s head or neck regions, which is unusual for any known local animals (like wolves), who usually were concentrating on the arms and legs of the victims.
By late December 1764 rumours had begun that there is more than one beast since the intervals between the reported attacks were very short or sometimes even suggested they took place at the same time. Some people said that it was pair of the animals, others that it was beast and its young.
On 12 January 1765, Jacques Portefaix and seven friends were attacked by the beast. After several attempts the beast was drove away by the fact that the men kept grouped together. This encounter eventually came to the attention of king Louis XV, who decided it’s time for the intervention of the state in the province.
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