- Cannibalism is one of
the ultimate human taboos,
and rumors of cannibalism
are far more prevalent
than actual proven cases.
Here are a few true stories:
- Hey, wasn't it around
here that the Donner Party
got snowbound?
- I think that was farther
west in the Sierras.
- What was the Donner Party?
- Let's get this one out of the way.
The Donner Party story is true.
In November of 1846,
the ill-faded expedition
found itself snowbound in the mountains
between California and Nevada.
Very quickly, they ate the pack animals.
Then after that, the dogs,
and then in a desperate
attempt to survive,
they boiled the animal bones and hides.
That doesn't provide the
proper nutrients, though,
and so by Christmas,
the Donner Party began
to eat their dead.
Very quickly, rumors and
accusations of murder abounded.
The idea being that the murderers wanted
to keep fresh flesh close at hand.
The very next year, in February of 1847,
Alfred Packer and five
other prospectors headed out
in search of gold in Colorado's
Breckenridge mountains.
A few months later, Packer
stumbled into a camp
with a tale that his five
fellow prospectors had all died
in search of food.
Later on, he admitted
that one man had died,
and the rest of the group had eaten him.
Three had died of exposure, and one man
Packer had killed in self defense.
When the weather cleared, and authorities
found the camp in August,
they quickly discovered
that Packer had murdered
his five fellow
prospectors and eaten them.
During the nearly three
year Nazi Siege of Leningrad
in World War II, nearly
a million people died.
The city was cut off from
supplying itself with food,
and gangs of hungry
citizens roamed the streets.
Anxious parents kept their
children from going out at night,
and the city had to
create a unit dedicated
with combatting cannibalism.
Ultimately, 260 Leningrad
citizens were charged
with the crime during the siege.
In 2008, a group of 33 Dominicans set out
in a fishing boat for
Puerto Rico in search
of a better life.
Less than two days out, however,
the engines malfunctioned,
and the boat was set adrift.
After drifting in open
waters for six more days,
the first person died.
After that, the captain disappeared.
After two more weeks, 27
of the original 33 people
died of dehydration or starvation.
Finally, driven to the
brink, the last remaining
five survivors ate the body
of the most recently deceased.
Ironically, the Coast Guard
found the boat the next day.
These are just a few true
stories of survival cannibalism.
For even more of these grisly tales,
go to HowStuffWorks.com,
and read 10 true stories
of survival cannibalism,
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