1) Champawat Tiger: 430 Kills
The Champawat Tiger is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as achieving the highest number of fatalities of any tiger. Quite an accolade I think you’ll agree. The female Bengal tiger killed an estimated 430 people in Nepal and the Kumaon region of India during the 19th century.
The onslaught started in Nepal, near the Himalayas. This she devil would ambush groups of up to 12 travellers as they wandered through the jungle.
Hunters were sent out but the Champawat Tiger was too cunning for them. Next the Nepalese army were sent in, that’s how big a problem she had become. Even the military failed to capture or kill her, but they did drive her from her territory. That didn’t solve the issue though, it just moved the problem to the Kumaon District.
The tigress got bolder and started killing people in broad daylight, people were too scared to leave their homes to go to work.
British hunter Jim Corbett who had killed the Leopard of Panar eventually bagged this beast too after it killed a teenager in town. He followed the trail of blood and limbs to the tiger’s hideout and shot it. Here he is with his prize:
A post-mortem on the Champawat Tiger showed that the canines on the right hand side of her teeth were broken meaning she probably couldn’t eat her normal prey. That’s no excuse really though is it?
Thankfully over in England we don’t really have the same sorts of problems do we? I guess a rabid badger or a horny cow would be our biggest threats.
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