On October 8th, two hunters shot it with several rifle balls. The distance was ten paces. The beast limped off and the peasants thought it went off in the woods to die. Within a matter of days, the brutal killings resumed.
The Paris Gazette printed witnesses' description of the beast. It was taller than a wolf and the paws had talons. The hair was reddish. The muzzle was shaped like a greyhound's. The ears were long and straight. The breast was wide and grey and the back was streaked with black fur. The mouth was big and filled with sharp teeth.
The English St. James Chronicle, on June 6th, 1765 wrote that it seemed that the thing was not a wolf, hyena or tiger, but a mongrel of the hyena and tiger. But, hyenas and tigers are not native to France. Nor can they produce offspring.
There was a horrible attack on two children, despite the older youths stabbing at it with knives and pitchforks that prompted the villagers to appeal to the Royal Court at Versailles. King Louis XV sent a troop of light cavalry led by Captain Duhamel to kill the beast. Because the beast favored females, some dressed as women. They shot the beast, but it always managed to escape. Finally, the killings stopped. Duhamel believed the beast was dead and returned to Versailles. After they left, the slaughter continued.
Finally, there was a large reward to whomever would kill the creature. Professional hunters and soldiers went to Gevaudan. A professional wolf hunter was also sent by the King. He and other hunters said they had wounded the beast badly, but the killings did not stop. Unfortunately, over 100 wolves were killed.
