The story of the man-eaters of Tsavo is one of the most famous wildlife legends in Kenya. It dates back to 1898 during the construction of the railway from Mombasa to Nairobi. The line was planned to pass through Tsavo National Park, with a bridge built over the Tsavo River. Construction in this section was expected to take about nine months, but the work was soon disrupted by a terrifying series of events.
Two large male lions began attacking the railway workers at night. They were said to enter the camps, drag workers from their tents, and kill them. These lions hunted repeatedly, creating fear among the entire workforce. The construction teams tried many different ways to stop the attacks, including setting traps and building protective barriers, but nothing worked.
The killings went on for months, forcing many workers to abandon the site. At one stage, construction work came to a complete halt because there were not enough laborers willing to stay in the area.
The head of the project, Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson, took it upon himself to track and kill the lions. He spent months setting traps and hunting them, often staying up through the night to watch for movement. In December 1898, Patterson finally managed to shoot and kill the first lion, and a few weeks later, he killed the second.
It is believed that the lions killed dozens of workers, although reports of the exact number vary. Some accounts say around 35 people were killed, while others suggest the number could have been higher. Scientists later examined the lions’ remains and suggested that injury or illness may have made them hunt humans instead of their usual prey.
Today, the skins and skulls of the two lions are preserved and displayed at the Field Museum in Chicago. Visitors can see them and learn about the history of the railway, the attacks, and the enduring legend of the Tsavo man-eaters. This story remains a fascinating part of Kenya’s colonial and wildlife history.
