Cannibalism is arguably the most important taboo in various cultures. Most adequate, sane people have never thought about eating the flesh of another person. This does not even occur to normal people, moreover, the very thought causes nausea and disgust. Of course, there are certain situations in which eating human flesh is the only way to survive, not to die, but there are other, more disturbing, scary stories about when a person becomes a cannibal for no apparent reason, other than the fact that he just enjoys the taste of human meat. The following cases of cannibalism are not for the faint of heart, read at your own risk. But you need to know this, since all the stories took place in real life. So what are some people capable of? Read on and be amazed!
Stella Maris rugby team
On a cold October day in 1972, an airplane flying to Uruguay with a rugby team on board crashed on an unidentified mountain between Chile and Argentina. Some of the best search teams were dispatched to the crash site, and after an 11-day search, the team was written off, presumed dead. Miraculously, some of the team members were able to survive, they were without food or water for more than two months. But this is due to the fact that they still had food. The team was forced to eat the bodies of their comrades, who died next to them. Gaining strength, two men (Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa) went hiking in the mountains and finally found help. Of the 45 people who were on board the plane, only 16 managed to survive and go through all these unpleasant tests.
Chief Ratu Udre Udre
This leader, who lived on the island of Fiji, is considered the most terrible cannibal in the history of all mankind. According to his son, he ate nothing but human flesh. When he had at least some "food" left, he hid it for later and did not share it with anyone. Its victims were mainly soldiers and prisoners of war. Udre used stones to keep track of how many bodies he ate. It is believed that Udre Udre ate about 872 people in his entire life. His beliefs about the benefits of cannibalism are not entirely clear, but nevertheless Udre Udre is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "The worst cannibal."
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Reverend Thomas Baker
The man was a member of a group of missionaries who worked in the Fiji Islands, where cannibalism flourished in the 1800s. The situation was too shocking for many missionaries: men and women killed and ate people, with the main victims being those who were defeated in battle. Some were even forced to watch as their severed limbs were consumed by their conquerors. Despite the terrifying surroundings, the missionaries remained safe and sound. This was until the Reverend Thomas Baker dived deeper into the largest island of Fiji with a group of other missionaries. The tribe that lived in the area killed and ate his entire crew. The tribe then went through a period of poor harvests and mysterious deaths, which they attributed to the curse that God had placed on them Christians for eating one of His chosen ones. They tried everythingto get rid of this curse, including the fact that they even invited Baker's relatives and performed traditional forgiveness ceremonies.
Richard Parker
In 1884, the ship "Mignonetta", which sailed from England to Australia, was shipwrecked. Four crew members managed to survive, they continued to sail aboard a four-meter lifeboat. Nineteen days have not passed without a trace. They were without food or drinking water and began to resort to cannibalism. Richard Parker was the youngest - he was only 17, he had neither a wife nor children, he had no one to return to. He also had a heavy build, so the other three decided to kill and eat Parker in order to satisfy their hunger a little and prolong their life. Five days later, the boat washed ashore and the three men were ultimately convicted of murder and cannibalism. They were later released, but only after the jury sympathized with their situation.
Alfred Packer
The gold rush sent many American prospectors westward in search of wealth in the late 1800s. Alfred Packer was one such enthusiast. The man and five of his other "companions" went to Colorado in search of gold, but the situation became dire when Packer came to a nearby camp to report a storm that had recently passed. He claimed that his comrades had gone in search of food and had not yet returned. You can probably guess from the title of this article what really happened to his missing comrades. Of course Packer was the one who sought food and found it in the flesh of his companions. After living on the run for nine years, the police caught up with him and Packer was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was released in 1901 and reportedly changed his lifestyle in jail. He became a vegetarian.
Albert Fish
He was not only a cannibal, but also a serial killer and rapist who abused children. Everyone feared him so much that he is remembered by such nicknames as Brooklyn Vampire, Gray Ghost and Moon Maniac. The exact number of victims is unknown, but many claim that Fish has committed about 100 murders, although only three incidents indicated his involvement. He deliberately pursued, maimed and killed people with mental disabilities (children and the elderly), because he felt that no one would be looking for them. After he wrote a letter to the parents of 10-year-old Gracie Budd, whom he kidnapped, killed and then partially eaten, Albert was eventually caught and sentenced to death. And the clue was precisely his terrifying letters, which he wrote to Gracie's parents, where he told them about what he did to their child.
Andrey Chikatilo
The Rostov butcher, aka Andrei Chikatilo, was a serial killer, rapist and cannibal who killed people in Russia and Ukraine. He confessed to killing more than 50 women and children between 1978 and 1990. After Chikatilo was caught and arrested, the police smelled a strange odor that came from the pores of his skin. This rotten smell was like the smell of human flesh. And everything immediately fell into place. He simply ate some of his victims, so as not to leave any traces and clues. He was executed on February 14, 1994. As a result of the investigation and subsequent trial, more than 1000 unrelated crimes, including murder and sexual assault, were resolved.
Alexander Pierce
Alexander Pierce is a mixture between a surviving victim and a born cannibal. After another escape from an Australian prison in the early 19th century, he and eight other fugitives walked through the forests of Tasmania, and then realized that they did not have enough food. After a long wandering, several prisoners were eaten, but Pierce and the other two prisoners managed to survive, since they were the best. But he soon killed and ate the rest of the fugitives, and was eventually caught and sent back to prison. But soon he managed to escape again with another prisoner, and you probably guessed that he also killed him first and then ate him. This time, when Pierce was caught, body parts of another fugitive were found in his pockets. Soon Alexander Pearce was sentenced to death and hanged in Hobart on July 19, 1824 (at exactly 9:00 am). His last words were: “Human flesh is very tasty. It tastes better than fish or pork."
Victoria Ivashura