For three years in the mid 18th century, the people of Gevaudon, France, lived in terror.

[suspenseful music] An unknown predator struck with brutal efficiency, attacking and killing farmers, shepherds, and travelers, leaving torn and lifeless bodies in its wake.

There were whispers that the predator was some sort of wolf-like creature, unlike anything anyone had ever seen.

But no one could be certain.

Communities across the French countryside lived in fear.

Parents kept children inside and residents had weapons ready.

The King of France ordered the beast to be identified and killed.

Soldiers were dispatched.

Hunting parties scoured the countryside.

For years, the beast evaded them all.

The victim numbers were staggering.

In the span of just three years, reports estimate the mysterious creature attacked over 200 people, killing more than 100.

The Beast of Gevaudan, as the creature came to be known, is one of history's most well-documented cryptid cases.

We know that the beast was real.

We know it killed a lot of people.

We even have its alleged corpse.

But after all the fear and the destruction left in its wake, one question remains: What was the Beast of Gevaudan?

[suspenseful music] It's the summer of 1764 in the rural Gevaudan in Southern France.

The weather is hot and dry, typical for the season.

But strange things begin occurring in the heat-- livestock starts to disappear, seemingly out of thin air.

And then on June 30th, the first human victim was targeted.

14-year-old Jeanne Boulet was attacked and killed by what would become known as the "wild, ferocious beast."

In August, a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy died from similar attacks while working in the fields.

Four more deaths followed that September, including a 36-year-old woman killed on her doorstep.

Some of the corpses are found mutilated, their throats ripped out or faces torn off.

Most of the victims were women and children, but no one was safe.

Rumors began circulating, but no one had any idea who or what the killer was.

By October, French military and police referred to the creature as "a monster."

[suspenseful music] Survivors described the predator as a beast that approached with ferocity and stealth.

Perhaps one of the most horrifying and perplexing pieces of evidence was a disembodied skull, lying cracked open at a distance from the rest of the remains.

The creature's notoriety increased and panic began to set in.

The beast seemed to target humans without fear, often attacking them in broad daylight as they tended to livestock.

While descriptions from eyewitnesses differed, a pattern emerged.

The creature was larger than a wolf and had a stripe down the back of its red or gray fur.

It had massive sharp teeth and claws.

In some reports, its eyes glowed red and it could stand on its back legs.

Many eyewitnesses thought the attackers could have been dogs or wolves.

Other theories ranged from a tiger, a lion cub, a panther, a wild boar, a bear, or a hyena.

There were reports of both a single animal and a pair carrying out the attacks.

Whatever it was, there was undeniably something stalking through the woods, preying on the citizens of Gevaudan.

A wolf wouldn't be uncommon.

There are numerous historical accounts of wolves attacking humans in France, but it seems that the frequency and range of the attacks was unusual.

This made it easier for superstitions and rumors to embellish the beast.

People said it could withstand bullets; others swore it could vanish into thin air.

Wanted posters for the beast claimed it decapitated its victims and drank their blood.

This print of the beast shows it with two rows of sharp teeth, erect ears, a cow tail, tongue hanging out of its mouth, and a lion's body.

Most accounts were seen as highly credible.

The attacks happened when France was plagued by wolf panics.

A rabid wolf had claimed 43 victims in January, 1764, the same year the beast started its attacks.

In the fall of 1764, the "Courrier d'Avignon" newspaper started to publish stories about the attacks.

The stories were sensational, comparing the beast to exotic animals like the hyena, the lion, and a giant North African serpent.

The editor, Francois Morenas, wanted to sell papers, and the violent attacks fit the bill perfectly.

So the media quickly picks up the attacks stories.

At first, blame was placed on the villagers for their misfortune.

Gevaudan locals mostly followed Protestant teachings.

Outsiders believed the peasants harbored ill will towards Catholicism and the monarchy.

One bishop even claimed the beast was a manifestation of the wrath of God.

What this also meant was that any troops employed by clergy or the crown to kill the beast were not just protecting the villagers; they were also monitoring the actions of alleged dissenters.

There were also accusations that the response to the attacks was exaggerated due to so-called primitive beliefs and rural superstition, essentially that the villagers were too dumb and too gullible to see it as anything other than a monster.

In January, 1765, Morenas ran an article stating that the attacks were from a "Ferocious beast of unknown type, coming from who knows where."

It perpetuated claims that the beast drank the victim's blood and ate their flesh.

The article also mentioned the hunting parties were foiled by the beast's agility and cunning.

In another article, Morenas claimed the bullets were unable to penetrate the beast's skin, and its fur had a horrific stench.

A follow-up article emphasized its ability to leap incredible distances and capacity to vanish and reappear at whim.

By December, 1765, the "Courrier" printed 98 articles about the beast.

Many stories added mysterious elements.

The news report served as a blueprint for national and international press.

[suspenseful music] Publications took digs at King Louis XV, lambasting him for the crown's inability to catch the killer.

King Louis was embarrassed by the media coverage making him seem like a ruler incapable of protecting his people.

So in February, 1765, he sent two professional wolf hunters to kill the beast.

They and their eight bloodhounds arrived in the region on February 17th.

Just a day later, a letter sent to the press detailed an alleged encounter with the Beast of Gevaudan.

Occupants traveling in a remote area in a horse-drawn carriage were attacked.

The beast went for the horses first, standing on its back legs, and with a mouthful of foam, used its tail to knock a footman in the face.

It returned to all fours before jumping through the carriage, breaking the glass and escaping into the woods.

It left a horrible smell in its wake so foul the carriage had to be burned to the ground, its ashes buried underground.

In March, the story was boosted to international recognition after "London Magazine" reprinted it.

Illustrations of the great beast ran alongside many of the other internationally published articles, showing its large size and ferocious appearance.

Since the initial attacks, armed locals actively hunted the creature in the forest of Langogne since September 1764, including large hunting parties.

At least one mountain infantrymen, Jean-Baptiste du Hamel participated in these searches.

The local outcry got government attention when the attacks began to spread northwest.

After the carriage attack, it seemed the beast was no longer just attacking peasants working alone.

This did not help King Louis's ego.

He offered a healthy reward of 6,000 livre to the victor who slayed the creature, a higher amount than any local monetary award being offered and one that raised the total prize to over 10,000 livre.

Local hunters employed poison and set traps to ensnare the beast.

Some used trained wolf-hunting dogs.

The king dispatched his Lieutenant of the Hunt, Francois Antoine in June, 1765, who seemingly had better luck.

Antoine shot a gray wolf that some eyewitnesses and survivors identified as the perpetrator.

It was stuffed and shipped to Versailles for display, where viewers were disappointed.

The great beast was nothing more than an average sized wolf.

Yet the wolf's entire pack was killed as a means of precaution.

But the deaths would prove futile.

More attacks followed less than three months after Antoine's triumphant kill, and panic set in again.

More hunters went on raids, with reports of over 2,000 wolves being slaughtered.

The beast evaded capture as mutilated bodies appeared on the edges of the woods for another two years.

[suspenseful music] The beast remained elusive until June of 1767 when a local Gevaudan hunter by the name of Jean Chastel shot and killed the beast.

Numerous marksmen and other knowledgeable individuals confirmed the creature Chastel presented was unlike anything they'd ever seen.

It was noted for its monstrous head and unusually flexible skeleton.

Said to be about 109 pounds, it also had a membrane that extended over its eyes, which could account for the glowing gaze some eyewitnesses reported.

The beast's death was celebrated by the people of Gevaudan.

Its body was reportedly brought back to a local village and displayed for the public.

This was a significant moment, as the people of Gevaudan had spent years living in terror.

They wanted proof the nightmare was finally over.

During the three year rampage between 1764 and 1767, more than 100 deaths were attributed to the beast.

But what was the Beast of Gevaudan?

Dr. Boulanger, a local surgeon, was tasked with performing an autopsy.

Upon examination of the corpse, he noted the creature was wolf-like, but much larger than a typical wolf.

It had powerful jaws with sharp teeth, rough, coarse fur, reddish-brown in color, and had large yellow eyes.

During the taxidermy process, the beast's stomach contents revealed the remains of its last human victim.

Despite the detailed examination, Boulanger failed to provide a definitive conclusion on the beast's exact species.

This ambiguity only fueled further speculation.

Chastel and the corpse arrived in Versailles in August in what was meant to be a triumphant moment for the hunter.

Instead, the king ordered the body to be immediately buried with no fanfare, and so ended the story of the Beast of Gevaudan.

Right?

Not really.

Speculation and rumors endured.

Some say it wasn't one wolf but multiple wolves.

Wolves were also an existential threat, an idea supported by werewolf folklore.

There were rumors that Chastel used a silver bullet to kill the Beast of Gevaudan, which only added to its monster-like mythology.

When the attacks first started, some claimed the beast was a hyena.

They were known to be solitary, predatory, and stronger than a wolf.

Another theory was that the beast was a lion or a tiger.

In 1911, Dr. Paul Puech, a French gynecologist, wrote an essay that claimed the beast was a sadistic human killer.

All these theories have some plausibility, but the lack of a definitive explanation kept the story alive.

Tales of the Beast of Gevaudan are powerful because they combine historical documentation with a great mystery.

The beast became a cultural icon that extended beyond its death.

Notable popular figures wrote and spoke about the beast.

Even today, its monstrous nature lingers.

It pops up in popular werewolf fiction like "Teen Wolf."

In 2001, the "Brotherhood of the Wolf" movie combined two theories.

The beast in that movie is a lion wearing metal armor.

It's still one of the world's most famous cryptids, and all of that is made possible because of the lack of conclusive evidence.

This is what we know for sure-- people were being attacked and killed by something in 18th century France.

Whatever stalked the forest of Gevaudan was real.

It attacked, it killed, and it haunted in entire region.

And long after its final breath, the story of the beast still refuses to die.

Perhaps we'll never know the final identity of the Beast of Gevaudan, and maybe that's okay.

Some unsolved mysteries are meant to remind us how easily fear can blur the line between reality and legend.

Another chicken?

Today you're tuning into "Monstrum."

Gevaudan.

France.

Langogne.

Langogne.

Langogne.

I have to remind myself that I'm actually on camera.