User:Paleface Jack/Malawi Terror Beast

The Malawi terror beast, also known as the Terror Beast, is a name associated with a series of animal attacks committed in 2003 in the central Dowa District of the African country of Malawi.

Background

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1750825.stm
• https://allafrica.com/stories/200307010776.html

History

Attacks

Map of the area of the attacks

The Malawi Terror Beast committed its attacks on March 6, 2003, in the Dowa District of Malawi. According to the district health officer Dr. Matius Joshua, an unknown animal had traveled to three separate villages within the district and proceeded to attack multiple villagers unprovoked. During its attack, the "Terror Beast" left a total of sixteen people severely injured and three who were mauled to death. As Joshua revealed to the BBC reporter Raphael Tenthani, the extent of the injuries inflicted upon the victims of the attack was often severe, with some being completely and permanently disfigured.

During the Terror Beast's initial rampage, it would target the limbs and faces of its victims, often ripping off various body parts that it promptly consumed. Survivors often sustained serious disfiguring injuries, with some of them losing both legs and hands while two lost both ears and eyes. One woman was reported to have her mouth and nose torn out. In the three known fatalities of this incident, the deceased, two elderly women and a three-year-old child, their skulls were crushed, with the intestines and sexual organs being consumed.

Panic and aftermath

News of the attacks quickly spread to the surrounding regions, leading to a mass panic within the community of Dowa. Four thousand people from four separate villages fled their residences out of fear of future attacks, and entire villages were abandoned by those seeking refuge away from the area. It was reported that villagers around the district sought refuge in a community hall at the district headquarters, while others occupied the nearby schools and government buildings. As a result of the mass panic surrounding the incident, the Malawi Police Service was deployed into the area to assist the local game rangers in tracking down the beast. On March 10th, it was reported that the exhaustive search conducted by armed forces and wildlife experts had failed to find the animal responsible for the attacks, with no further sightings occurring since the incident. Those who had fled later returned to their villages under armed guards as a precaution, while personnel continued to conduct searches of the surrounding areas.

On April 14th, it was reported that the creature was still at large despite an extensive search, with game rangers continuing to patrol the area for any possible sightings. News coverage of the incident was highly criticized by the Dowa District Commissioner Charles Kalemba, who accused the media of "drumming up the issue". Kalemba also stated the reports of attacks taking place over multiple days were exaggerated by the press, clarifying that the attacks had occurred in the course of a single night.

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rabid-hyena-kills-nine-people/

Analysis

Image: Spotted Hyena

The Malawi Terror Beast was never captured or killed, rendering a definitive identification of the animal unlikely. Animal experts interviewed at the time of the attacks have often stated that the creature was more than likely a spotted hyena infected with rabies. Spotted Hyenas are widespread throughout Africa, and a common occurrence in Malawi, often living within proximity to human habitation. They are normally shy in the presence of humans, with the highest flight distance (up to 300 meters) among African carnivores. However, this distance is reduced during the night, when hyenas are known to follow people closely. In Malawi, the Spotted Hyena is greatly feared due to their frequent and often violent encounters with the local population, commonly carrying out their attacks at night. While spotted hyenas have been known to prey on humans in modern times, such incidents are rare. However, attacks on humans by spotted hyenas are likely to be underreported. According to recent reports, the number of attacks has risen dramatically within the past couple of decades.

A month following the attacks, Kalemba stated that local rangers had captured a baby hyena, left abandoned in the area of the attacks. He theorized that the identity of the "Terror Beast" was a female hyena that had recently given birth.

In the early 2000s, before the attacks, Dowa had regularly experienced attacks related to unidentified predators. An eyewitness reported that the animal resembled one that was shot the year before by game rangers and paramilitary police which was responsible for the deaths of five people and the maiming of over twenty. Wildlife officials identified the beast as a rabid hyena. Njuzu

• https://web.archive.org/web/20020908162646/http://www.nationmalawi.com/articles.asp?articleID=2567
• https://books.google.com/books?id=E4JyZgr8y50C&pg=PA65&dq=Spotted+Hyena+attacks&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj00dGUrMeDAxW3GjQIHUOuBMU4ChDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=Spotted%20Hyena%20attacks&f=false
• https://books.google.com/books?id=ZVHoCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA90&dq=Njuzu&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjfs7CJicSBAxVkMX0KHXceCeIQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=Njuzu&f=false
• https://books.google.com/books?id=4kfxTc6Guw0C&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=Malawi+Terror+Beast&source=gbs_navlinks_s
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1750825.stm

Sources

Books

• Brian, C.K. (1983). The Hunters Or the Hunted?: An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-2260-7090-2.
• Briggs, Philip (2010). Malawi. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-8416-2313-9.
• Heuvelmans, Bernard; Barloy, Jean-Jacques; Grison, Benoit (June 11, 2015). Les ours insolites d'Afrique (in French). les Éditions de l'Oeil du sphinx. ISBN 979-1-0915-0629-8.
• Knight, John, ed. (January 11, 2015). Natural Enemies: People-Wildlife Conflicts in Anthropological Perspective. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-1351-2600-1.
• Kruuk, Hans (1972). The Spotted Hyena: A Study of Predation and Social Behaviour (1st ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-2264-5508-2. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via the Internet Archive (registration required).
• Morris, Brian (2009). Wildlife and Landscapes in Malawi: Selected Essays on Natural History. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4251-7183-4.
• Newton, Michael (October 5, 2016). Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-9153-7.