July 2006. The Ghosts of Tsavo by Phil Caputo and The Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo by Lt.Col, J.H. Patterson.  We recently visited the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago where I picked up a couple of books on the man-eating lions of Tsavo.  I found that I wasn't the only grown man who had become fascinated with this story after seeing the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" several years ago, which chronicles the story of the hunting of two male lions who killed and ate 135 workers at a construction site in Tsavo, East Africa during a nine month period in 1898.  After reading these books, I found that movie to be no exaggeration. Lt.Col. Patterson donated the skins and skulls of the Tsavo lions that he killed to the Field Museum in the 1920's and they were a central exhibit until 1968.  The lions are still a popular exhibit at the museum but are tucked back in the mammals hall on the first floor.  Here's the link to the Field Museum exhibit on the lions of Tsavo (LINK) The Ghost's of Tsavo is a combination of the author's adventures in Tsavo in the 1990's and an explanation of the theories of lion behavior, biology, and evolution.  It's first chapter chronicles the hunting of another man-eating lion in Tsavo in 1991. This lion is also stuffed and on display in the Field Museum. It was 10.5 feet from nose to tail, and weighed 550 pounds. The Man-eating Lions of Tsavo is Col. Patterson's first hand accound of how he hunted down the two lions in 1898 is a classic. It's short and well worth the read. After reading this, you'll realize that the movie was actually toned down a little from this account. Back to reading list
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