Was the Beast of Gévaudan, which killed more than 100 people, real?

Legends of werewolves have haunted the wilderness of Europe since the Middle Ages and the origins of such stories go even farther back in our shared mythos across the world. But no story comes as close to the terrifying reality of an animal (or animals) that became known as the Beast of Gévaudan. The Beast of Gévaudan (la Bèstia de Gavaudan in Occitan) is an animal that caused a series of attacks against humans between June 30, 1764 and June 19, 1767. These attacks, most often fatal, between 88 and 124 reported according to sources, took place mainly in the…