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It's difficult to picture ourselves in a scenario where consuming another human would even cross our minds. Yet history has repeatedly shown that in certain extreme circumstances, people have resorted to such unimaginable acts. While the horror of it is undeniable, sometimes the dire situation makes it seem almost justifiable. On other occasions, however, the act of cannibalism is simply brutal and unnecessary.
10. The Essex Crew
Throughout history, tales of shipwrecks and cannibalism are not uncommon. One such infamous story is that of the whale ship Essex, a case where the practice of cannibalism can almost be understood due to the dire circumstances.
In 1820, the Essex was struck by a sperm whale, sinking the ship. All 20 men survived and managed to board the three remaining boats. Struggling with limited provisions, three of the men decided to stay behind on a desolate island.
Weeks passed at sea, and one of the 17 remaining men had a seizure, convulsed, and died. The others, desperate, consumed his organs and ate what they could.
As more sailors perished, they were consumed. Eventually, one man was killed to ensure the survival of the rest. In the end, only five men lived long enough to be rescued.
9. The Last One Standing
Anyone who was ever banished to Sarah Island surely longed for an escape. In 1822, that’s exactly what Alexander Pearce and seven convicts did. They ventured into the wilderness, and Pearce was the only one to return alive.
According to multiple sources, shortly after their escape, three of the men abandoned the group. This left five survivors. They continued, but hunger led to desperation. The first to die was a man named Bodman. The remaining four men, now guilty of the crime, partook in the cannibalism to ensure that none of them would be innocent.
As hunger once again took hold, Pearce and another convict subdued another doomed man, while a man named Greenhill killed and butchered him. Matthew Travers was the next to die, leaving only two men: Pearce and Greenhill.
Eventually, a camp was discovered, and Pearce emerged from the wilderness alone. Greenhill had been consumed.
Pearce was captured and admitted to cannibalism, but the authorities were skeptical until Pearce escaped again with another convict. When he was found this time, pieces of the other convict were found in his pockets. Pearce once again confessed to cannibalism and was hanged.
8. The Francis Mary
On February 5, 1826, the Francis Mary, a wooden vessel, encountered fierce winds that took down both of its masts, leaving it stranded in the water. With limited provisions, the 21 people aboard began to starve.
The first person perished a few days later, but the crew hesitated to resort to cannibalism. By the time the second person died, the crew had endured 10 days without food. The deceased man was butchered, his meat dried, and portions were rationed.
More lives were lost, and those who passed away were consumed. When the cook was on the brink of death, his wife, Ann Saunders, claimed ownership over his body, bled him, and took the larger portion of his flesh. She then became the ship’s cook and was reported to carry out her cannibalistic duties without hesitation.
When help finally arrived, only six people remained alive.
7. A Feast of the Natives
In 1866, a disturbing instance of native cannibalism made headlines. A French warship sent a boat to explore one of the rivers of New Caledonia, a South Pacific island. After some time, the boat never returned to the ship.
Concerned about the boat's fate, the ship ventured up the river in New Caledonia and eventually came across the remains of the crew. It was clear that the men had been killed and consumed by the locals.
Some of the native individuals were captured and confessed to “splitting their skulls with axes, then cooking and consuming them.” They even complained about one man being so aged and tough that they had to cook him for a longer period to make his meat tender enough to eat.
Furious, the French exacted their revenge by slaughtering every native they encountered.
6. The Greely Expedition
History is rife with tales of expeditions that went terribly wrong, and the Greely expedition is one such tragic story.
It began in 1881, when US Lieutenant Adolphus Greely was tasked with leading an Arctic expedition. A group of 25 men set out, but by 1884, only six survivors returned after being rescued.
Initially, these men were hailed as heroes. However, just two months later, it was revealed that at least one member of the expedition had been shot and eaten. Though authorities attempted to conceal the scandal, autopsies of the deceased confirmed the rumors of cannibalism.
5. Eat The Youngest
In 1884, Jack Want, a wealthy Australian lawyer, purchased a yacht to enhance his social status. He hired an experienced seaman and three crewmen to sail the yacht, named the Mignonette, to Australia on his behalf.
To cut a long story short, the men took the South Atlantic route, encountered a storm, and sank the yacht. The four men managed to survive by taking refuge on the yacht’s dinghy.
For three weeks, the men endured starvation. They drank their own urine to stay alive and caught a turtle, drinking its blood before consuming it.
Eventually, they decided to draw lots to determine who would be killed and eaten. However, they ultimately chose to kill off the youngest and weakest member, 17-year-old Richard Parker. Shortly after consuming their shipmate, they were rescued.
4. Frozen Strips Of Meat
Siberian prisons have long been infamous for their harsh conditions. In 1903, it was reported that four men had escaped from a prison on Saghalien Island. Eventually, two of the men were captured again.
What became of the remaining two escapees? They were consumed.
The men lacked enough provisions to make it through the cold journey, so two of them decided to attack and kill the others. They drank the victims’ blood, sliced their flesh into strips, and placed the strips in the snow to freeze. When the men were eventually captured, some of the frozen strips of meat were still in their possession.
3. Human Flesh In Pots
A bizarre story emerged in February 1948 from the Russian zone of Chemnitz. It was reported that Bernard Oehme’s sister had disappeared the previous month, and her relatives had notified the authorities.
The police launched a search for the 26-year-old woman and discovered what remained of her in her brother’s home. They found human flesh in various containers—pots, buckets, and dishes—and Maria’s head, hands, and feet in the cellar.
When confronted, the brother confessed to “killing, cooking, and eating” his sister. He did not provide any explanation for why he resorted to cannibalism.
2. Bergen-Belsen Prison Camp
During World War II, the Bergen-Belsen camp initially housed prisoners of war. It eventually began to hold civilians and was later transformed into a concentration camp. Individuals from various countries and backgrounds were cramped within the camp’s confines. Food was scarce, and by 1945, prisoners were enduring severe hunger, often going days without food.
When the Western Allies reached the camp, they were shocked by the horrific conditions. Brigadier Glyn Hughes informed reporters, “The prison doctors tell me that cannibalism is going on.” He further stated, “There was no flesh on the bodies. The liver, kidneys, and heart were cut out.”
The prisoners were trapped in such dire circumstances, with dead bodies scattered around and no food in sight, that they were left with no choice but to engage in the unimaginable to survive another day.
1. Siege Of Leningrad
In the summer of 1941, the German forces began encircling Leningrad. By the fall, they had successfully cut off all food supplies to the city, leaving its inhabitants to face starvation.
At first, the desperate citizens turned to the zoo, consuming whatever animals and fish they could find. Soon after, they resorted to eating their pets. In a final act of desperation, they made wallpaper paste into a meal and boiled leather to create a jelly-like substance that could be consumed.
Ultimately, with no options left but to starve or break a major taboo, many people turned to cannibalism to survive until their city was liberated. It is believed that hundreds, possibly thousands, of people resorted to this horrific practice. The situation became so dire that the city authorities formed a special task force to combat the widespread cannibalism.
