Europe in the 1700's was a dangerous and strange time during which almost all of the continent was under scrutiny by the church, who searched for the heretics, witches and werewolves, so they could be executed. Certainly much of this was hysteria, but one tale bears exploration. Between 1764 to 1767 a creature called the "Beast of Gevaudan" is estimated to have committed 210 attacks, 113 of which resulted in death. 98 of the victims were at least partially eaten. People believed the beast must be supernatural by it's appearance and temperament, believing it to be either a demon dog or more often a werewolf. Several animals were killed and their hunters boasted of destroying the monster, but attacks continued and the mystery of it's identity has never been solved conclusively. Perhaps the true identity of the animal(or more likely animals) is a creature not local to the area, but one with a different look and attitude then the wolves that commonly roamed France at that time. Some possible theories include a mastiff, a large dog wearing the armored hide of a boar or a domestic dog/wolf hybrid. The creature was described commonly and repeatedly as having a enormous mouth with formidable teeth, while the fur had a reddish tinge. Also a large tail figured prominently. Often the beast was said to have an enormous mouth and jaw, which one witness described as "as large and wide as the mouth of hell." Hyenas have been ruled out basically because they don't fit with witnesses accounts, and none of the animals previously mentioned have been a true fit for the identity of the beast. But what if there was another choice? At this point in history it was extremely fashionable for the wealthy to import wild animals from all over the world as pets. There was a tremendous amount of exploration during this period, and undoubtedly many foreign animals ended up in the private zoos of the wealthy nobility. The More exotic and rare the creature, the higher it's value. And it known that many imported animals, including large carnivores, escaped their captivity. Could the "Beast of Gevaudan" be a Thylacine?
The thylacine, or tasmanian tiger.
The thylacine, or tasmanian tiger, was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times and has reportedly been extinct since the start of the 20th century. Native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea only. Though it resembles a wolf or a dog it is not closely related. The thylacine was an apex predator, like the wolf, and shared many of the traits of the Canidae(canine) family. This was due to it developing physically to fill the same ecological niche as the Canidae species(wolf or dog), resulting in the similar attributes, such as sharp teeth, powerful jaws, the same general body form and a raised heel.
The thylacine, better known as the tasmanian tiger(now extinct), is a real possibility as the true beast. They bear a strikingly similar resemblance to one another, and the minor points of detail that are not found in wolves can be found in thylacines. The massive jaws, often compared to huge caverns, are an example, because the thylacine developed a jaw structure that was longer, wider and deeper than that of the wolf. Although the thylacine appears similar to a wolf, in reality it is completely different, thanks to the unique environment and habitat in which it developed. The description of the Beast of Gevaudan sometimes includes mention of an odd gait or style of movement, which the thylacine had in comparison to the wolf. This is because the thylacines were not quite the sprinters wolves are, but can travel very rapidly. Additionally, thylacines were able to walk on their hind legs for short distances, and this coincides with reports of the monster being a prodigious leaper, and often described and depicted standing or moving with it's front legs elevated. Then the fact that the thylacine was in a completely different environment than it's homeland forced it into behavior that a wolf would not normally do. On the other hand, who can completely say how a very confused, scared, angry and out-of-place thylacine might behave. It would likely increase in aggression, if only in a response to the alien environment it now faced. With all of it's natural prey absent it would be forced to find food, setting up a situation for the animal to become a opportunistic hunter, feeding on what it could catch. Lacking the full run speed of a wolf it may have had trouble chasing down native game, but farm animals and humans are much easier for a starving thylacine to attack. Though humans were not natural prey, a creature in this situation has NO natural prey. This could cause it to become an opportunistic, ambush predator, driven to extremes by the will to survive. Since there were no laws governing the licensing and handling of animals kept as pets, the rich imported anything they desired from around the globe, the more rare and exotic the animal, the more status it conveyed to it's owner. Most likely not one, but a small pack or family, of tasmanian tigers were captured and shipped to France to be the ultimate luxury pets. It is safe to say that the average frenchman of this time would have no idea what a tasmanian tiger looked like, or that they existed at all. It's not hard to envision the "pets" escaping(or being intentionally released because danger factors) from the home of a wealthy nobleman. Then, when the beast becomes famous for it's viciousness and attacks on people, the owner would have true incentive to hide and deny their past ownership, lest they receive the blame, or more likely, face a peasantry looking for a tangible target for their fear and fury.
Images of The Beast of Gevaudan
Images of Thylacines, also known as the tasmanian tigers.