During the 19th century, a legendary female bengal tiger went on a complete rampage that ended with the death of an estimated 430 people in Nepal and India. The bengal got the name “Champawat Tiger” after finally being killed in Champawat Town, near the Chataar Bridge in Northern India. The tiger’s attacks have been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest number of fatalities from a tiger.

The first series of attacks started in Nepal. After killing over 200 people, the tiger was driven by the Nepalese Army across the border into India, where she would continue her killing spree. The bengal was so fearless and bold that all the killings occurred during the daytime. The tiger would often roam the streets and break into huts without any hesitation.

Villagers would lock themselves inside their huts at times in fear of being eaten by this vicious creature. Many described the village as a virtual “ghost town” due to the fact that no one would dare to step outside and risk their lives. Some would stay inside their huts for over a week. The last victim the tiger would claim was a young 16-year-old girl who was outside her village gathering wood.

The Champawat Tiger was finally killed by a man named Jim Corbett who was described as a “big cat hunter.” Corbett was an Indian-born British conservationist who was extremely talented at stalking and killing man-eaters. Corbett was also responsible for killing a male leopard that had terrorized another district in India, responsible for close to 400 deaths as well. He would go on to publish a book called the Man-Eaters of Kumaon to detail his experiences.

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