All language subtitles for The UnXplained S04E06 Serial Killer Creatures 1080p HULU WEB-DL AAC2 0 H 264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
Man-eating lions
that stalk human prey.

WILLIAM SHATNER:
Man-eating lions
that stalk human prey.
(man screaming)

(man screaming)

Killer crocodiles
that attack without warning.

And great white sharks
that are out for blood.

And great white sharks
that are out for blood.
(man screaming)

(man screaming)

Since the dawn of civilization,
mankind has known

that wild animals are dangerous,

that wild animals are dangerous,
and if provoked,
they might attack.

and if provoked,
they might attack.

But what about when
a deadly predator kills people

not just once
but time and time again?

Is it possible that
some creatures hunt us down

because they actually
have a taste

for human flesh?

Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

♪ ♪

Thousands of
workers have come to this

remote patch
of the African savannah

to build a new railroad line
for the British Empire.

One night, as the men sleep,

they're awakened by
the sound of screaming.

(man screaming)

They quickly realize

that a fearsome lion
has crept into the camp

and is attacking
a man in his tent.

BRUCE PATTERSON:
A big male lion
entered the tent of a foreman,

seized him by the head, dragged
him out screaming and kicking

into the bush, where, uh, his
remains were found the next day.

And there was
very little left of him.

But his head was left
almost completely intact,

pierced on the sides
by the lion's teeth,

his eyes wide open, frozen
in a look of horror and fear.

SHATNER:
The savage killing
of the foreman

marked the beginning
of a vicious murder spree

carried out by not one
but two vicious lions,

who quickly earned the nickname,

the Tsavo Man-Eaters.

LARISSA DeSANTIS:
The two man-eaters
were particularly large.

They were upwards
of nine feet in length.

We know that these
two lions were both males.

And they don't have
the large iconic manes

that you would expect
of most African lions.

So these lions were smart.
They were patient.

They were able to
effectively hunt their prey,

and if you have
the element of surprise,

humans really can't
do anything about that.

There were 3,000 men camped
along the rail lines,

and that left
the men in tents there

vulnerable to attacks by lions.

The two male lions
descended on railway crews,

and began
systematically hunting, killing

and consuming railway workers
on the edge of this camp.

Of course, the crews became
completely dispirited,

Of course, the crews became
completely dispirited,
and this sparked panic,

and this sparked panic,

this sparked desperation,
this sparked mass desertion.

It was headline news
back in England at the time,

where in Parliament,
delays in the construction

of the railway
were discussed as being

attributed to
these problematic lions.

SHATNER:
News of the savage attacks
carried out

by the Tsavo Man-Eaters
made headlines around the world.

And many began to wonder
why these two lions

were deliberately killing
and eating so many people.

Incidents of man eating
among lions is very unusual.

Lions typically eat zebra,

wildebeest, buffalo,
things that eat grass.

They know their prey very well,
but a man-eating lion must study

the habits of humans
and learn to...

adjust to them
in order to be successful

in their food acquisition.

DeSANTIS:
We don't see
lions attacking and hunting

and trying to go after people
most of the time.

But these
two lions in particular

were sort of committed
to the practice of man eating.

-(lion growling)
-It's possible

that then
we became a preferred food.

SHATNER:
On December 9, 1898,
nine months after their reign

of terror began, the first
Tsavo lion was shot and killed.

20 days later, the second lion
met the same fate.

But by then,
the pair of man-eaters had

already killed and eaten

an astonishing 135 people.

CORBIN MAXEY:
There's no evidence

that shows that the
Tsavo Man-Eaters were starving.

There was actually
plentiful prey in the area--

wildebeests,

zebra, gazelles, hippos.

And yet they chose
to eat humans.

It is a very unusual situation.

SHATNER:
The Tsavo Man-Eaters are
perhaps the most

infamous lions in history.

Their seemingly insatiable
desire to kill humans

taps into our most primal fears,

and is a reminder that
our ancient ancestors lived

in constant fear of being
attacked by dangerous predators.

NATALIA REAGAN:
Early on,
our ancestors were often

preyed upon
because we don't have giant

claws and armor
and things of that sort.

We've got this big brain
that can help us hopefully

outthink and outcompete
these predators,

outthink and outcompete
these predators,
but given
the right circumstances,

but given
the right circumstances,

we're very vulnerable.

We humans like to think
that we're

We humans like to think
that we're
at the top of the food chain.

at the top of the food chain.

But thousands
and thousands of years ago,

we were eaten alive
by almost any and everything.

And what is very interesting
about that is

And what is very interesting
about that is
scientists have actually
shown infants

scientists have actually
shown infants

images of snakes,
images of spiders,

and infants who have never
seen these animals before

will freak out,
they'll show a fear response.

They'll cry.
That's an alarm call.

They'll cry.
That's an alarm call.
That is innate. It's in our DNA.

That is innate. It's in our DNA.

SHATNER:
More than a hundred years
after the attacks

by the Tsavo Man-Eaters,

the mystery of what made
these two lions target people

lingers in
the public consciousness.

So much so that their skulls are

on display at the Field Museum
of Natural History

in Chicago, Illinois,

where scientists
continue to study them

in search of clues as to why
they became man-eaters.

And according
to the latest research,

it appears
the lions' murderous rampage

it appears
the lions' murderous rampage
may have ironically
had something to do

may have ironically
had something to do

with their teeth.

PATTERSON:
The teeth of lions,
they're used to crack bones

and get the marrow
that's inside them,

and it's quite typical
in lion dentitions to find

missing or broken teeth
associated with this heavy use.

It's not typical, however,
to find dental disease.

Yet, in the case
of the Tsavo lion,

Yet, in the case
of the Tsavo lion,
we had a broken
lower right canine

we had a broken
lower right canine

whose pulp cavity was exposed
about a third of an inch across.

That would have been
excruciatingly painful.

This is a cast of the skull
of the first man-eater,

and this is the broken
lower right canine tooth

that ultimately became
diseased and impacted.

This lion would have been unable
to administer the killing bite

that lions use to take down
large, struggling prey.

So we think that the arrival
of the railway workers in camp

happened at exactly
the right time

for this individual lion, that,

as it had become incapable

of taking down buffalo,
it looked on people

of taking down buffalo,
it looked on people
with a new eye
and a new appetite.

with a new eye
and a new appetite.

SHATNER:
Did a debilitating
toothache turn the first

Tsavo lion into a man-eater

because humans are softer prey
that were easier to bite?

It's a compelling theory.

But scientists have
verified that the other

Tsavo lion's teeth
were perfectly healthy.

So why did it join
in the killing?

MAXEY:
One of the Tsavo lions
had extreme dental issues.

The second lion did not have
those dental injuries.

So why would this lion
go towards humans?

It's because it learned
from the other lion

that humans are an easy target.

Constantly,
predators are-are learning

from success, from failures.

from success, from failures.
They're learning from others.

They're learning from others.

They're learning
how to take down prey.

They're learning how to hunt.

They're learning how to hunt.
And so
it's not surprising to see

And so
it's not surprising to see

that the second man-eater
started eating people as well.

We probably were,
um, an easy meal.

We oftentimes will see an animal
that has killed multiple humans

and think, "Oh, wow,
they're gunning for us."

But we have to really
remember and reframe it

as these are animals that are
doing just what they have to do

to make it into
the next week, the next year.

Just like we would.
It's kind of eat or be eaten.

The story of the Tsavo
man-eating lions

is proof positive
that some animals enjoy

having humans on the menu,
so to speak.

But there's another creature
who reportedly killed

over a hundred people
that is even more unsettling.

A fearsome predator that roamed
the French countryside

A fearsome predator that roamed
the French countryside
and was known
as the Beast of Gévaudan.

and was known
as the Beast of Gévaudan.

SHATNER:
On a warm summer morning
in this farming region

of south central France,

14-year-old Jeanne Boulet
leaves home

to tend her flock of sheep.

By sundown, she's dead.

Murdered by a mysterious animal

that reportedly
mutilated her body,

severed her head

severed her head
and ripped out her heart.

and ripped out her heart.

Jeanne Boulet was the first
documented casualty

of a monster
that many people believed

was roaming
around south central France

beginning
in the late spring of 1764.

By the end of September,
another ten or so casualties,

however, had appeared.

GERHARD:
Le Bête du Gévaudan,

also known
as the Beast of Gévaudan,

was a mysterious
wolflike creature

which mounted
a murderous rampage

over a three-year span
within the 18th century.

The beast frequently attacked
women and young children

who had been assigned the task
of herding sheep and cattle

in remote mountainous meadows.

And in many cases,

they were rather
defenseless and vulnerable.

(growling)

SHATNER:
Between 1764 and 1767,

the so-called Beast of Gévaudan

terrorized
the Margeride mountain region

of southern France.

According to historical records,

more than 100 people
were brutally killed.

SMITH:
The Beast of
the Gévaudan's ravages

SMITH:
The Beast of
the Gévaudan's ravages
did incite panic
among the people.

did incite panic
among the people.

And we know this largely
from evidence from journalists

and others
who were commenting about

the activities of the beast.

By early 1765,
newspapers all across France

and, indeed,
all across Europe and in America

were reporting
on the Beast of the Gévaudan--

his exploits,
the various hunts for the beast,

the various
mysteries surrounding it--

which is why so many people
were transfixed by this story.

GERHARD:
There were many attempts
to hunt down the beast.

People in the Gévaudan region
typically did not own guns,

but there were posses formed.

Groups that would go out
in the woods and literally

beat the brush
with pitchforks, sticks,

knives, whatever types
of weapons were available.

However, the hunt
for the beast really ramped up

However, the hunt
for the beast really ramped up
when King Louis XV
became involved.

when King Louis XV
became involved.

He brought in a professional
wolf hunter named d'Enneval,

who allegedly killed
over a hundred wolves,

but the killing still
did not end.

SHATNER:
According to multiple reports,
the beast resembled a wolf

but was unlike any canine
that was known to man.

GERHARD:
Many of the local villagers
noted as saying it resembles

a very large wolf, but
the Beast of Gévaudan attacked

and killed people in a nature
that was very unlike a wolf.

(growling)

(growling)
The nature of these attacks,

The nature of these attacks,

-the way that this thing
-(wolf howling)

was decapitating people,

disemboweling people,

this was something
completely different.

SMITH:
One of the reasons this
becomes such a magnetic story

is because there were
always new strange stories

about the beast's behavior,

its appearance,
its strange abilities.

The peasants on the ground
were describing it

as having the ability
to walk on its hind legs,

glowing eyes, and having five
or six talons rather than four.

They didn't use
the word "werewolf."

They used descriptions of
this creature that made it easy

to believe that this
could indeed be a werewolf.

GERHARD:
The Beast of Gévaudan is
one of France's

most enduring
and popular mysteries.

There are museums.

There are statues.

There are songs.
There are stories.

This was like
a real-life nightmare.

To this day,
the Beast of Gévaudan

is celebrated in French culture,

and it really has
a profound effect on people.

SHATNER:
The descriptions of the beast
were so terrifying

that it's not surprising
locals thought

it was some kind
of supernatural monster.

But there were
scientists at the time

who proposed a different theory.

SMITH:
Among the many hypotheses
that emerged

was that the beast
might be an African hyena.

The hyena was this
very mysterious creature

that lots of naturalists
and others wrote about

in the 1750s and '60s.

GERHARD:
The general description of

the Beast of Gévaudan
was a wolflike creature

but bigger, the size
of a mule or a calf, perhaps.

but bigger, the size
of a mule or a calf, perhaps.
It had a large head.

It had a large head.

It had a long muzzle,
lined with razor-sharp teeth.

Pointy ears.

Pointy ears.
A long tail with
a tuft of fur on the end.

A long tail with
a tuft of fur on the end.

The coat of fur was
typically described

as a reddish brown or gray,
with a black stripe

running down the back,
and a white breast.

These are hyena-like
characteristics.

MAXEY:
Back in the day,
kings and even people of status

had exotic pets,
they had exotic zoos.

Who's to say
that a hyena didn't escape?

Who's to say
that a hyena didn't escape?
If you take a look
at the victims,

If you take a look
at the victims,

their chest cavities torn apart,
their limbs missing,

their chest cavities torn apart,
their limbs missing,
their heads decapitated.

their heads decapitated.

This all resembles
attacks of a hyena.

SHATNER:
Could the Beast of Gévaudan have
been an escaped African hyena?

Perhaps.

Perhaps.
But some researchers
have suggested

But some researchers
have suggested

a less exotic possibility.

GERHARD:
There are a number
of arguments for

the Beast of Gévaudan
actually being a killer wolf.

Wolves typically are very
timid animals around humans.

But there have been
some 9,000 wolf attacks

in France over the centuries.

And there was also a theory
that the beast attacks may have

been perpetrated by a wolf
that had come down with rabies.

SHATNER:
According to experts,
rabid wolves often lose

their innate fear of humans,
and walk with a strange gait.

Which are behaviors described
in the eyewitness accounts

of the Beast of Gévaudan.

But while the rabid wolf theory
may make sense,

the best clue
scientists have today

about the beast's identity

was obtained on the day
it was reportedly killed.

The beast's
reign of terror ended

The beast's
reign of terror ended
on June 19, 1767,

on June 19, 1767,

when a local hunter
named Jean Chastel

felled the monster

felled the monster
with one shot
of a silver bullet.

with one shot
of a silver bullet.

After Chastel shot
this strange creature,

the killings actually stopped,
so everyone was

in agreement that-that he had
actually killed the beast.

A surgeon who conducted
an autopsy determined

that while it resembled a wolf,
it was not a wolf.

And in fact,
it possessed 40 teeth

compared to a wolf's 42 teeth,

which is quite strange.

The beast's remains
were paraded around

the Gévaudan region
for weeks thereafter.

And by the time
the carcass was taken

to the Palace of Versailles
and presented

to King Louis XV,
it was so smelly

to King Louis XV,
it was so smelly
that he immediately demanded

that he immediately demanded

that it be removed
from the palace.

And to this day,
nobody knows what happened

to those remains--
they vanished.

Ultimately,
while some people feel

the Beast of Gévaudan may have
been a supernatural phenomenon,

the deaths, the occurrences
documented, they're real.

And the Beast of Gévaudan
remains a great mystery.

Was the Beast of Gévaudan
a common wolf

or something
even more terrifying?

Either way,
this deadly creature drove fear

into the hearts of people
all over France.

And that was also the case
more than a century later,

in the United States,
when a wave of panic was caused

by the attacks
of a great white shark.

SHATNER:
25-year-old Charles Vansant
is swimming

SHATNER:
25-year-old Charles Vansant
is swimming
in the brisk Atlantic waters

in the brisk Atlantic waters

off the coast
of this resort community...

...when he's suddenly
attacked by a massive shark.

(screaming)

Lifeguards pull Vansant
from the water

and see that his left thigh
has been stripped of its flesh

by a massive set
of razor-sharp jaws.

CAPUZZO:
The story is that they had to

almost wrestle him away
from the shark.

As they pulled him ashore with
the shark following him still,

his father, who was a doctor,
operated on him

or tried to save his life,

but he died of...
of a flesh wound to...

a bite on his...
his thigh, actually,

and, uh, loss of blood.

SHATNER:
The gory death
of Charles Vansant was

the first recorded fatal
shark attack in U.S. history.

And then on July 6th,

a mere five days
after Vansant was killed,

there was another attack
along the Jersey Shore.

Charles Bruder,
who was a 27-year-old

Swiss native
who was in the army,

went for a swim,

and 1,200 feet out,
in the middle of the day,

was attacked and bitten

by what appeared to be
about an eight-

by what appeared to be
about an eight-
or nine-foot great white shark

or nine-foot great white shark

that severed his legs
and a part of his torso.

By the time
the lifeguards got out there,

there was hardly
anything to lift into the boat.

SHATNER:
This second deadly attack was
widely reported in newspapers

across the country,
and set off a nationwide panic.

Many people believed
it was no longer safe

to swim in the ocean
off the coast of New Jersey.

And several beaches
were closed by the authorities.

The public reaction
was hysterical.

There were calls all the way up
to President Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson had
a cabinet meeting

and talked to the early men
who founded the Coast Guard

about eradicating all the sharks
on the East Coast.

Bounties were given
by towns and cities,

and anybody that could kill
any shark could get $100.

You had fishermen going out,
catching and killing sharks.

And it wasn't
just in New Jersey.

It was all up and down
the Eastern Seaboard

and even infiltrated
into the coastal states,

and even infiltrated
into the coastal states,
Texas, Louisiana,

Texas, Louisiana,

and as far as the Pacific coast
of North America.

SHATNER:
Less than one week
after Charles Bruder

was killed, on July 12th,

three more people were attacked
by what many witnesses claimed

was an eight-
or nine-foot shark.

Curiously, all five
of these incidents took place

along a 50-mile stretch
off the coast of New Jersey.

Because of their proximity
and the similarities

between eyewitness accounts,

many began to wonder
whether the horrific attacks

could have been the work
of a single killer shark.

CAPUZZO:
The New Jersey attacks
are so strange,

'cause sharks don't kill people
with any kind of regularity

'cause sharks don't kill people
with any kind of regularity
and nobody witnesses it

and nobody witnesses it

with any kind of regularity
when it happens.

But the concept of a rogue shark

that kills or injuries
one person

and that gets a taste
for human flesh

and goes after another
like a serial killer,

the Jersey Shore may be
the best evidence

we have that
that's ever happened.

SHATNER:
On July 14, 1916,

two weeks after
the first fatal attack,

a taxidermist named
Michael Schleisser caught

a seven-and-a-half-foot,
325-pound great white shark

off the northern end
of the Jersey Shore.

After cutting open its stomach,
authorities found what appeared

to be partially digested
human remains.

There are many who believe
that this great white shark was

responsible for all
five attacks that took place,

four of which were fatal.

Fatal shark attacks
on humans are seldom

predatory for feeding.

So what was going on
that would cause a series

of five attacks
over a 11-day period,

what was behind all of this?

People panicked.

No one wanted
to go in the ocean.

So its effect on individuals,
citizens, was enormous.

And it was something that,
to this day,

And it was something that,
to this day,
still has an effect on us.

still has an effect on us.

SHATNER:
The 1916 Jersey Shore attacks
helped to popularize

the notion of sharks
as deadly man-eaters.

More than 50 years later,
the killings inspired

the 1974 novel Jaws
by Peter Benchley,

which became the basis
of the blockbuster film

made by Steven Spielberg
that terrorized

generations of beachgoers.

But despite
their bad reputation,

the truth is that
sharks rarely kill humans.

According to statistics gathered

by the International
Shark Attack File,

on average, there are
only five fatal shark attacks

worldwide per year.

So why does
the belief persist that

some sharks are
a serious threat to humans?

Over the years,
sharks, especially white sharks,

have been portrayed as killers.

Unfortunately, people
are killed from time to time.

It has been postulated

that white sharks' hunting has

similarities into the tactics
utilized by serial killers.

Serial killers use what is
referred to as an anchor point,

Serial killers use what is
referred to as an anchor point,
which is where
they will sit and watch

which is where
they will sit and watch

and pick their victim.

White sharks do the same thing.

White sharks like
to hunt stealth,

where the intended victim
can't see them.

MAXEY:
A lot of people often
look at sharks and think

that there's nothing going on.

But great whites
are intelligent animals.

We've watched
great whites attack seals.

And you'll find the older
great whites will pick out

specific individuals,
usually young ones.

It's very methodical.

So it is 100% possible

that some sharks
like the taste of people.

SHATNER:
Are there certain sharks
that specifically

and methodically hunt people?

Some marine biologists
have suggested it's possible.

But if this theory is true,
then what's even more disturbing

is that a killer shark
may keep stalking people

for a very long, long time.

Great whites can live
to be 80-plus years old.

There are some accounts
of specimens being over 100.

They study their subjects
just like a serial killer.

They learn from their mistakes
just like a serial killer.

That's terrifying.

Is it possible that some sharks

methodically stalk human beings?

Perhaps.

But there is one
man-eating creature

that we know has definitely

been targeting humans
for decades.

A massive crocodile

that doesn't eat its victims

but rather appears
to kill people

but rather appears
to kill people
just for the thrill of it.

just for the thrill of it.

SHATNER:
February 19, 1945.

On this 500-square-mile island,

Allied British forces
drive 1,000 Japanese soldiers

deep into the murky waters
of a ten-mile swamp.

But as night falls,
the Japanese soon realize

that they're being hunted by
a very different kind of enemy,

that they're being hunted by
a very different kind of enemy,
as one by one, they're killed

as one by one, they're killed

by a group
of massive crocodiles.

These crocodiles were giant--
15, 16 feet long--

and they went
on a killing rampage.

There were accounts
of bloodcurdling screams

There were accounts
of bloodcurdling screams
from men trying
to save other men

from men trying
to save other men

from the jaws
of hungry crocodiles.

During the night,
those crocodiles killed

over 500 people.

LESLIE:
It's the classic example
of a crocodile feeding frenzy.

The men who were forced
into the swamp

had wounds,
they were bleeding anyway.

had wounds,
they were bleeding anyway.
That's a sure sign
for a crocodile

That's a sure sign
for a crocodile

to start attacking,
the smell of blood.

It must have been something
unbelievable to go through.

REAGAN:
I think the situation was

an encroachment of the humans
into the crocodiles' territory.

And the crocodiles were
just seizing an opportunity.

It's like getting a free meal.

You're not gonna turn it down.

SHATNER:
By morning,
less than half of the 1,000

Japanese soldiers who entered
the swamp came out alive.

Because of
the incredible death toll,

Because of
the incredible death toll,
the incident at Ramree Island

the incident at Ramree Island

is considered by some
to be the worst

crocodile attack ever recorded.

It's also a grim reminder
that crocodiles

are one of the deadliest
and oldest

species on the planet.

Crocodiles have been around
for over 240 million years.

Way before birds, mammals
and modern-day reptiles.

Crocodiles appeared
25 million years

before the dinosaurs and are
their closest living relatives.

They share a lot of
the same features as dinosaurs,

including hip-like arrangements
that you can see in birds,

and they have teeth in sockets,

unlike teeth
that are fused to the jawbone.

Since the very beginning
of our evolution,

we have lived
alongside crocodiles

and have been eaten
by crocodiles throughout.

They're known for their strength
or their ferocity.

And we're really a snack to
some of the larger crocodiles.

SHATNER:
East Africa.

At 410 miles long
and nearly 5,000 feet deep,

Lake Tanganyika on the border
of Tanzania and the Congo is

the longest and second deepest
freshwater lake in the world.

Thousands of people
rely on it to survive,

even though
they are aware of a terror

even though
they are aware of a terror
lurking beneath its surface.

lurking beneath its surface.

A massive crocodile that the
locals have nicknamed Gustave.

MAXEY:
Gustave is an infamous
Nile crocodile.

He's supposedly over 18 feet

and weighs over 2,000 pounds.

And experts also believe
he's anywhere

from 80 to 90 years old.

He is a prolific man-eater.

These victims were women,

were children, were fishermen.

LESLIE:
Gustave is a killing machine.

Accounts of people
being taken by Gustave

are pretty rife out there
in the villages.

The locals want him dead
because they believed he was

the monster crocodile
that was habituating

that lower section of river

and was responsible
for all those deaths.

He's definitely been
shot at a couple of times.

There's a scar on his head,
and there's another one

between his shoulders.

But what also made
killing him difficult

is that Gustave often
disappeared for months on end.

At one point in time,
nobody saw him for 18 months.

SHATNER:
So far, no one has been able
to capture

or kill this deadly crocodile.

It is estimated that
Gustave is responsible

for killing at least 300 people
between 1987 and 2015.

But, curiously,
it seems that Gustave

doesn't always eat his victims.

According to the locals,
he may hunt humans

simply because he enjoys it.

Gustave has claimed
many, many victims.

More than any other
crocodile in history.

If you look
at the sheer number of people

that Gustave has killed,
and the fact that he doesn't

always eat his victims,
it's puzzling.

It's almost as if
he's doing it for sport.

LESLIE:
Most villagers think
that Gustave picks on

LESLIE:
Most villagers think
that Gustave picks on
human beings in particular.

human beings in particular.

There's rumors about how

he follows
and he stalks his-his prey.

he follows
and he stalks his-his prey.
He watches you.

He watches you.

He has a memory--
he knows who's where,

he knows where
the boat ramps are.

We don't hear about many
serial man-eating crocodiles,

so from a scientific
point of view,

it's also a bit of an enigma.

SHATNER:
The last known sighting
of Gustave was in 2015,

but the fear that he will
reemerge from the waters

of Lake Tanganyika has kept
authorities on constant alert,

in the hope that
they can capture Gustave

in the hope that
they can capture Gustave
before he kills again.

before he kills again.

LESLIE:
None of us know if
Gustave is actually still alive.

He's so famous that if
he had died or been killed,

somebody would have had
that skin or had that skeleton

or taken
some photos or something.

So I wouldn't be surprised
if he's still out there.

The idea that
a 2,000-pound crocodile

enjoys attacking humans

is frightening,
to say the least.

But in Russia, many believe
it was a darker motivation

that caused a fearsome tiger
to take a human life.

Because this predator
may have killed its victim

as an act of revenge.

SHATNER:
In the cold, unforgiving
forests of eastern Siberia,

a local hunter named
Vladimir Markov discovers

the bloody carcass
of a wild boar

lying half-eaten in the snow.

He instantly realizes
he's in great danger,

because he has just stumbled
upon a fresh kill

made by one of Russia's
most dangerous predators.

The Siberian tiger.

McCANN:
At the point
where Vladimir Markov realized

that he was coming upon
a tiger's kill, he knew that

the tiger will still be there,
because it'll still feed

upon that kill until
there's nothing left to feed on.

So if he doesn't shoot
that tiger first,

the tiger will kill him.

So it was a case for him
of "kill or be killed."

SHATNER:
As the tiger approached Markov
to defend its kill,

-he fired his rifle.
-(gunshot)

But only wounded the angry cat.

Injured, the tiger retreated
back into the forest.

But that's not
the end of the story.

Because two days later, the
local authorities were informed

that Markov had been
attacked and killed

at his home by a vicious tiger.

When investigators arrived
at Markov's log cabin,

they found a disturbing scene.

(man speaking Russian)

It's pretty remarkable
seeing the images.

There was obviously
quite a lot of blood.

The clothes
are tattered everywhere.

Often, when tigers kill people,
it's not necessarily for food.

But in Markov's case,
the tiger ate everything

it possibly could of him.

It wanted to leave
no trace of the man.

The strangest part
of the Vladimir Markov story

is the fact that the tiger
actively destroyed

everything around that lodge
that had Vladimir's scent on it.

Just destroyed it
in seemingly a fit of anger.

SHATNER:
But even more unsettling than
the gruesome killing itself

was the fact that investigators
later determined

that Markov was eaten
by the same tiger

he had shot with his rifle.

McCANN:
The tiger tracked Vladimir
back to his hunting lodge,

a distance of 11 kilometers.

a distance of 11 kilometers.
And then it waited.

And then it waited.

And then it waited.
That is what is remarkable.

That is what is remarkable.

It waited, we think,

around 48 hours
for him to return to that lodge.

And then when Vladimir returned,

it killed him.

SHATNER:
The story of Vladimir Markov's
death at the hands

of a deadly tiger
is frightening,

but it's also mysterious.

Because while animals
will naturally defend themselves

when attacked,
this tiger tracked Markov down

over an unusually long distance.

But why?

Big predators will kill
smaller predators

with which they compete,
and there's a long history

of human competition
with predators.

So it's possible
the tiger was viewing this

as competition, and I want
to get rid of a competitor

because this is
a threat to my livelihood.

because this is
a threat to my livelihood.
So don't steal food from tigers,

So don't steal food from tigers,

is the lesson that stands out
from Markov's story.

SHATNER:
Did the tiger kill Markov
because it viewed him

as a threat to its survival?
Perhaps.

But there are those who believe
that it was motivated

But there are those who believe
that it was motivated
not by self-preservation

not by self-preservation

but rather by a desire
to exact revenge.

MAXEY:
You can't look
at this story of Vladimir

and not think that
this is a story of vengeance.

The tiger stalked
Vladimir's cabin.

It waited for Vladimir
to return home for the attack.

Everything here
points to premeditation.

You look at other instances,
you see attacks

with tigers
who will seek vengeance

with tigers
who will seek vengeance
on people they don't like.

on people they don't like.

These animals can feel
these emotions.

BLUMSTEIN:
All animals have
neurochemical responses

which are remarkably similar
across all sorts of species.

They feel emotions or feelings
that influence behavior

They feel emotions or feelings
that influence behavior
exactly the same as we do.

exactly the same as we do.

McCANN:
You do not mess with a tiger.

If you do that,
it's gonna come after you.

Markov will have known
that when he shot that tiger

and it didn't die,
he knew that his time was up.

This tiger had the ability
to hold a grudge

This tiger had the ability
to hold a grudge
with a single individual

with a single individual

for over 48 hours
and then take its revenge.

We have taken dominion
over nature in many ways

because of
our technological developments,

but we are still
a part of nature,

and we are still
occasionally on the menu

of bigger and stronger animals,
such as tigers.

It's chilling to think
that a tiger could actually

have a vendetta, a score
to settle, with human beings.

But not all animals
see humans as adversaries.

But not all animals
see humans as adversaries.
For example,
there's a region in India

For example,
there's a region in India

where people
and man-eating lions

have joined forces.

SHATNER:
These lush woodlands
are home to the Asiatic lion,

one of the rarest predators
on Earth.

Though less than 700
of these majestic cats

remain in the wild,
they often cross paths

with the local residents,
whose farms border the forest.

But, curiously, instead
of coming into conflict

But, curiously, instead
of coming into conflict
with these dangerous predators,

with these dangerous predators,

the farmers appear to have
formed an alliance with them.

MAXEY:
There is
an overabundance of deer

in India, and the deer
at night will come

and eat the farmers' crops.

So the farmers have teamed up
with the local Asiatic lions.

The farmers, trying to scare
the deer off, make a noise.

(farmer calling)

And the lions quickly
have learned

that that noise means
that deer are in the area.

So the lions end up
killing the deer.

This is something that has
never really been documented

where lions and humans
are working together.

SHATNER:
Asiatic lions are
notorious man-eaters

and have even been known
to drag people

from their homes and kill them.

So how is this
mutually beneficial arrangement

between man and lion possible?

Well, as it turns out,
these lions behave

the same way any household cat
would when it's dinnertime.

(farmer calling)

DeSANTIS:
Lions are very clever,
and in this sort of symbiotic

relationship with them
and humans,

they're essentially able
to learn that humans

are providing them notification
that there are prey available.

It's essentially
like ringing a dinner bell,

um, for these lions.

And so they've learned not
to attack humans in most cases.

And there's amazing footage
of people sitting down,

relaxing just
a few feet from lions.

SHATNER:
The cooperation between
Indian farmers and Asiatic lions

is proof that,
in the right circumstances,

humans and deadly predators
can be friends instead of foes.

But experts warn
that we shouldn't

let down our guard when in
the presence of wild animals.

Seeing these farmers
walking and living

amongst these lions,
it completely blows my mind.

Now, could the tables turn
at any moment?

Absolutely.

These are still wild animals
with instincts.

I would say these
animals still need to be

treated with a lot of respect.

McCANN:
Human beings like
to think of themselves

McCANN:
Human beings like
to think of themselves
as above the rest
of the animal kingdom

as above the rest
of the animal kingdom

because we've
innovated ourselves

because we've
innovated ourselves
out of nature
in many, many ways.

out of nature
in many, many ways.

But when faced with a predator,

without the benefit
of technology such as weaponry,

the predator
just sees us as food.

Essentially,
our pecking order is not

necessarily
the top of the food chain.

And, you know,

we are a part
of the natural community.

We can be prey.
We can be predators.

We can be prey.
We can be predators.
It depends on the situation.

It depends on the situation.

But ultimately,
we can succumb to a crocodile,

to a lion,

to a tiger at any moment.

Is it possible for humans
and dangerous animals

Is it possible for humans
and dangerous animals
to peacefully coexist?

to peacefully coexist?

It's certainly
an optimistic thought.

But let's not forget,
animals are driven by the same

instincts that we are:
hunger, fear, even revenge.

And if a deadly predator
decides that it's out for blood,

there's not much
that we can do to stop it.

Which is why
some creatures will remain

wild, unpredictable and...

unexplained.

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