The Man-Eaters of Tsavo

The Man-Eaters of Tsavo is a book written by Lt. Col. J. H. Patterson a British soldier engineer and big-game hunter about his experiences while overseeing the construction of a railroad bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya in 1898. During the project the construction camp was terrorized by two man-eating lions which killed and devoured dozens of workers. Patterson who was the chief engineer in charge of the project took it upon himself to hunt down and kill the lions. After several weeks of failed attempts he finally managed to shoot and kill both of the lions. The book is a firsthand account of Pattersons experiences during the construction of the bridge as well as his efforts to hunt down the man-eating lions. It also provides insight into the challenges faced by the British during their colonization of East Africa including the danger posed by wild animals the difficulties of building infrastructure in remote areas and the cultural differences between the British and the native peoples. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo is considered a classic of adventure literature and has been adapted into several films including the 1996 movie The Ghost and the Darkness which starred Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas.