Beast

by S. R. Schwalb

  Shoulder height (both sexes cm) 66-81 (73.5)

  To some international researchers, including Phil Barnson, and taking into account the measurements reported, morphological aspects (color, spots, chest mark, leg appearance, etc.), and the dental formula corresponding with that of a canid (42 teeth, as in wolves, dogs, coyotes, etc.), the Beast shot by Jean Chastel was probably a wild dog.

  If we assume that this theory is right, we could ask ourselves: A dog, but what kind? And what about its unusual appearance, which confused hunters and others familiar with wolves and wild carnivores? The answer could lie in the middle, and Chastel’s Ténazeyre Canid could represent some kind of mixture, a creature with both wolf and dog characteristics, a hybrid, hence its odd morphology. Such specimens may result from habitat fragmentation (more common in Europe), low population densities, or when feral dogs encounter solitary wolves (living apart from a pack).

  Female and male wolves (and also coyotes) usually become sexually active once a year, in the springtime. Female dogs, on the other hand, are sexually active two times a year, approximately each six to eight months for around twenty days. Thus a female dog in heat can mate with a wolf or coyote only during the male’s limited breeding period, but a male dog encountering a female wolf or coyote in estrus (heat) is prepared to mate anytime.

  Therefore it is much more probable that if the La Ténazeyre Canid, was a wolf-dog hybrid, its father was a dog mated with a female wolf (a bigger chance for the pairing, and therefore mating, to happen—the male dog is ready to mate all year round). That being said, and in order to establish a wolf-dog identity in a more confident way, we must now look to some of the key characteristics presented by this alleged Beast.

  Table 2. Key characteristics of La Ténazeyre Canid, shot by Jean Chastel on June 19, 1767. Data obtained from the Roch-Étienne Marin autopsy report.

  La Ténazeyre Canid key characteristics

  Present in wolves

  In wolf-dog hybrids

  Chest marking (white, heart shaped)

  NO (never)

  YES

  Stripes (thin, dark, scarce)

  NO (never)

  YES

  Spots (some)

  NO (never)

  YES

  Mixed color: brownish red

  NO (uniform)

  YES

  Squared skull

  NO (wedge-shaped)

  YES

  Short snout

  NO (long)

  YES

  Stop (the degree of angle change between skull and nasal bone near the eyes)

  NO (smooth, angle greater than 90º)

  YES (high % dog blood)

  NO (high % wolf blood)

  Face mask

  NO (blended)

  YES (high % dog blood)

  NO (high % wolf blood)

  Short, robust front legs

  NO (four long legs in relation to the body)

  Depends on % of wolf-dog blood

  The animal shows clear characteristics associated with wolf-dog hybrids, canids very similar to a wolf in general appearance and size, but which retain certain dog features not present in “pure-bred” wolves. We can therefore conclude that some of these characteristics confused hunters and experts alike, thus the attribution to the Beast of an unknown identity or unclassifiable morphology.

  Top, dog skull and reconstructed head profile. Bottom, wolf skull and reconstructed head profile.

  Top, La Ténazeyre Canid skull reconstruction. Bottom, possible external appearance of the same animal, showing a rather long snout. Based on data from Phil Barnson, et. al.

  Illustration showing reconstructed head and skull of Jean Chastel’s Beast, La Ténazeyre Canid.

  Up to now we have discussed wolf-dog hybrid physical characteristics, important in trying to get a better picture of some of the odd-looking canids prowling in the Gévaudan at the time of the Beast … but what about their behavior and aggressiveness? In this sense, how do they differ from a typical wolf way of behaving, and what differences exist, if any, when compared to a typical dog, which has interacted with humans since prehistoric times? Most experts, mainly archaeologists and geneticists, agree that modern dogs may have originated from Canis lupus (though there is new evidence that wolves and dogs may have both descended from a common extinct ancestor) twelve to fifteen thousand years ago. Smaller, less aggressive wolves may have followed nomadic tribes; wolves may have been adopted as puppies; or wolves frequenting human villages and dump sites in search of an easy meal became tamer, and over time, became primitive dogs, companion animals progressively bred for various tasks, for guarding, herding, etc. (Anthropology professor Pat Shipman contends that early modern humans and their wolf-dogs caused the extinction of Neanderthals.) In the process, these proto-dogs retained natural instincts and behaviors, which were adjusted, with some patterns being modified or reduced. As we saw earlier, wolf-dog hybrids retain a mosaic of physical characteristics from both races, resulting in a composite animal approximately half dog, half wolf.

  According to Dr. Robert Willems, in terms of behaviors, a composite also occurs: Hybrids may inherit a range of behavioral traits, some of which may be conflicting. For example, wolves normally seem to fear humans, avoiding all contact except when raised in captivity, when they become less fearful animals. Dogs, on the other hand, socialize readily with humans, even preferring human company to that of other dogs. Wolves are tremendously successful hunters. Many dogs would starve if left to fend for themselves in the wild. Additionally, wolves rarely bark, something obviously not true for most dogs. The mixture of potentially conflicting genetic traits results in less predictive behavior patterns in the wolf hybrid, compared to either wolf or dog. This is not to say that the behavior of a specific hybrid is unpredictable or erratic. It would, however, be unlikely that someone unfamiliar with a particular hybrid, even someone with considerable experience, would be able to predict that animal’s behavior with reasonable certainty. The adult behavior of hybrid pups also cannot be predicted with anything near the certainty of dog pups, though the behavior of an individual wolf hybrid may be predictable.

  Another aspect that has been subject to controversy is related to aggression. How aggressive would these hybrids be, and how is aggression connected with their genetic background? Would it make them unstable? Could they become highly aggressive individuals, more so than the specialized flesh-eating wolf? The absence of an objective behavioral study of this type of animal has contributed to the wolf hybrid controversy, and most opinions of their behavior can be readily divided between two opposing camps. One side describes them as being destructive, unpredictable, and untrustworthy around humans, especially children. The other sees them as gentle, playful, intelligent, and loving animals, similar to the dog in their relations with people. In fact, many hybrid owners claim their animals are less dangerous than some breeds of dogs. Adding to the confusion, national statistics regarding canine attacks on humans compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) have been used by both sides to support their differing positions. The aggressive tendencies of these animals and documented attacks on humans have caused many to have concerns about wolf hybrids. But others question whether they are as dangerous as many claim. When CDCP statistics on canine attacks are used to compare hybrid attacks to those committed by various breeds of dogs, hybrids appear to be no more dangerous than some of the more aggressive dog breeds. But these statistics may be misleading, since they only list the number of attacks by breed without taking into account breed population figures or circumstances surrounding the attacks. The following tables summarize some information on wolves, dogs, and wolf-dog hybrid behaviors, aggressiveness, and the evolution of such responses.

  Table 3. Wolf, Dog, Wolf-Dog Hybrid Behavior (adapted from Dr. Robert Willems).

  That is why, according to Willems, we must take into consideration the following:

  • Most attacks by wolf-dog hybrids have been on small children. Man
y occurred when the animal’s predatory instincts were triggered by some unwitting behavior by the child, causing the hybrid to regard the child as prey. In several instances, hybrids have even attacked children with whom they have played in the past.

  From top to bottom; wolf, dog, Jean Chastel-associated Beast skulls. Note (arrows) different stop angles on all drawings.

  • In some hybrids, the timidity of the wolf may be replaced by the aggressiveness of the dog, while the predatory contribution from the wolf ancestry may remain relatively intact. Thus, hybrid attacks on humans can be related to both the aggressive tendencies of the dog and the predatory nature of the wolf.

  • In hybrids, where the aggressive nature of the dog may be coupled with an absence of the wolf’s aggressive restraint, serious injury or even death to a human can result in the case of a dominance challenge. Hybrids, having strong natural dominance tendencies, may be particularly dangerous.

  According to scientist Stephen Spotte, wolves and wolf-dogs make inappropriate pets, and their use for this purpose should be outlawed. Wolves in nature are timid with regard to the presence of humans unless habitually fed, which increases the danger of being bitten. There is almost no chance of being attacked by a wild wolf not domesticated by humans. Captive wolves are different, and crossing a wolf with a large ferocious breed of dog produces offspring that can be exceptionally dangerous.

  Following the story of the Beast, based upon physical characteristics and aggressive/predatory behavior (eleven attacks and ten deaths, victims all children under fifteen years old, in a three-month period from April to June 1767, Auvers, France, vicinity), we can be pretty confident that the La Ténazeyre Canid shot by Jean Chastel was a wolf-dog hybrid. We cannot be 100 percent sure this animal was responsible for all deaths recorded then, or that this was the one and only “Beast.”

  ***

  In France and elsewhere, predatory attacks by wild animals occurred fairly often, both in time and space. Could some of the other Beasts from other years and far-away regions have been some kind of wolf-dog hybrid? Unusual descriptions, in which the typical wolf profile seems to be diluted with strange canid characteristics, coupled with cunning, extremely aggressive behavior, and sometimes a huge size, seem to correspond exactly with what we would expect from an animal born from a wolf-dog cross. This possible explanation for the Beast’s identity could be entitled the “Big Wolf-Dog Hybrid Theory.” We include the word “big” here for obvious reasons:

  A typical dog skull showing the steep stop angle.

  • First of all, we have many eyewitness accounts in which the Beast is compared to a donkey, calf, or an animal bigger than a wolf.

  • This large animal probably carried the genes from a big, heavy wolf, probably a specimen well over normal weight and size.

  • The pairing probably took place with a large male dog, belonging to some heavy race (a Dogue de Bordeaux, a Great Dane, or mastiff).

  • The oversized offspring, later an adult “Beast,” probably showed what is known as “hybrid vigor,” or heterosis, outbreeding enhancement. This is the opposite of inbreeding (in humans known as endogamy). The result is that the offspring is usually larger than its parents’ individual average sizes. Sometimes its measurements may surpass its biggest progenitor in size, resulting in true-to-life monstrous animals—what we might expect in an animal deemed La Bête Féroce, “the ferocious Beast”.

  We want to finish this chapter in which additional contenders for the Beast have been proposed—that is, a large wolf (the Chazes individual), and a probably confirmed wolf-dog hybrid (La Ténazeyre Canid)—by bringing into play, with regard to the hybrid (maybe a one-of-a-kind animal because of its huge size and unique behavior), some morphological data on French dog breeds from the eighteenth century. Here are some possible candidates for a “Father of the Beast.”

  Table 4. French dog breeds from the eighteenth century (We include the Irish wolfhound and Alaskan malamute because these, too, are ancient giant races. All male measurements.):

  Left, Alaskan malamute, and right, Irish wolfhound, compared to a 1.67 m (5 feet, 6 inches) tall adult French man from the eighteenth century (average height at the time).

  CHAPTER 24

  Cold Winters, Killer Wolves

  Now, toward the midwinter of that year, 1764, the frosts were excessive and the wolves became ferocious.

  —Guy de Maupassant, “The Wolf”

  Canis lupus is a top predator that normally attacks large prey. In Europe, these would include deer, roe deer, ibex, chamois, and, to a lesser extent, wild boar and elk. However, the wolf is a carnivore of great adaptability and is able to subsist on small prey as well: rabbits, hares, squirrels, and other micro mammals. In order to survive, the wolf can also exploit a particular group in a particular season, as in Russia and Canada, where beavers are favored in periods without snow cover. And in extreme situations, wolves do not hesitate to attack domestic livestock such as goats, sheep, and pigs.

  Still, wolves will always prefer wild prey to domestic animals. But what about the humans who attend to livestock? Could the wolf discover that this other food “option” is a viable one, easy to take down and consume? There is no doubt wolves normally avoid humans; the animals seek refuge in remote areas, dense forests, and alpine regions.

  But during extreme winters, wolf clans move from mountain regions into valleys and plains where there are greater concentrations of prey and better conditions; as a result, they come into direct conflict with human inhabitants. And this is where problems begin—for both sides.

  Environmental Disequilibrium: Hunting Livestock and Young

  To begin to understand the motivation of the Beast of the Gévaudan in attacking humans in such a systematic way, we first must pay attention to the environmental and social circumstances in the Gévaudan region of France during the eighteenth century. The country was immersed in a bleak post-war period following the Seven Years’ War, which pitted France against the British Empire, among other powers, over colonial expansion and control of trade routes. The rural areas of France were plagued with disease, hunger, and unemployment, and the environment was altered by human activity. Decades of uncontrolled hunting drastically reduced populations of wild herbivores, wolves’ natural prey. Forests were logged and cleared, and grazing areas expanded, resulting in a relative abundance of livestock. Wolf populations were pressured to find sustenance among these domestic animals. Canis lupus was observed more and more frequently near human communities, stalking grazing goats, sheep, and cows. And the only thing separating the jaws of the wolf from the throats of its animal victims were shepherds, who were, in eighteenth-century France, mostly children.

  And so, the Beast’s attacks follow a pattern. The victims (more than one hundred deaths out of more than two hundred attacks) are mostly children (less than sixteen years old) of both sexes (up to 47 percent, sixty-eight deaths out of one hundred forty-five attacks) and adult women (55 percent, sixty-seven out of one hundred twenty-four attacks). In contrast, the number of men killed is approximately half (25 percent, thirty-three out of one hundred thirty-five attacks). Some say this is because the men carried on their farm work together in groups with tools, while children and women tended to be more isolated.

  Further, most of the children attacked are between eight and twelve years old. Why might this be? Because children under eight are still at home and children twelve years old and over are more capable of defending themselves. Coincidence or premeditation?

  Recent studies indicate that during the Middle Ages, wolves in Lombardy and eastern Piedmont, Italy, developed a preference for human infants. For many wolf experts this is indeed plausible. The animal confuses the child with potential prey, according to Patricia A. Goodmann of Wolf Park, Indiana, and Jean-Marc Landry of France, both specialists with regards to wolves and ecology.

  Says Landry, “The movements of a little boy are reminiscent of prey in distress, [and this] can be accentuated by … heavy winter clot
hing that prevents movement. A child who moves clumsily or quickly [and whose actions are] accompanied by loud shrieks, can trigger a predatory behavior in any canine, including the dog.”

  The peasants and farmers from the Gévaudan defended themselves with sticks and spears, and sometimes with help from their guard dogs. The Fantastic Museum of the Beast of the Gévaudan, Saugues, France. Photo G. Sánchez Romero.

  Goodmann gives the example of her pet schnauzer, which often confuses children with other dogs, especially youngsters seen at a distance in the company of adults.

  According to sources, the typical Gévaudan attack was quick, occurring in the open during the day or near human settlements at night. The victim was usually bitten in the region of the neck or collarbone, beheaded by the animal’s teeth and/or claws, and consumed, to a greater or lesser degree. Internal parts, such as the liver, heart, intestines, and brain, were favored. If an attack was interrupted, the Beast tore off an arm or leg and escaped with this small reward. The animal also consumed large amounts of victims’ blood, returning for more later, even the next day if not sated.

  The first Beast, the Chazes wolf, is dead. The Fantastic Museum of the Beast of the Gévaudan. Photo G. Sánchez Romero.

  When experienced hunters tried to poison the body of one of the victims, the Beast declined the offering, seemingly detecting the contamination. When the hunters planted bait in hopes of ambushing La Bête, it refused to appear. The Beast even abstained from carefully placed “dummies” made of fur- and leather-covered animal parts.

  Wolf Populations, Winter Mortality, and Food Intake

  Wolves have been hunted and their populations decimated the world over since ancient times. At first, as humans began to settle into an agrarian lifestyle, with domesticated dogs, they found the wolf a threat to the livestock that provided them with so many benefits and indeed, survival itself. Thus, wolves were hunted to protect domesticated animals. They were also hunted for their skins, as trophies, and for sport. In France, the Luparii, an elite force created by Charlemagne, controlled wolf populations during the Middle Ages. The economy depended on livestock, mainly goats and sheep; the Luparii were considered heroes by pastoral communities. Even until relatively recent times, rewards were given for each wolf killed.