Part of the great thrill of exploration is the unknown, and among the many 10 suspected cases that have captured imaginations, the risk of being devoured by cannibals looms large. Risk and reward must be weighed on every venture; ships may sink, disease may spread, and quicksand may swallow the unwary, yet the lure of new knowledge and a place in history drives explorers onward.
10 Suspected Cases of Cannibalism Among Explorers
10 German Explorer Killed On Polynesian Goat Hunt
German-born Stefan Ramin and his partner Heike Dorsch were seasoned travelers who set sail around the globe, arriving at the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia on August 30, 2011. Enchanted by the islands, they lingered twice as long as planned. During this extended stay, Ramin arranged for a local, Arihano Haiti, to guide him on a traditional goat hunt.
The two men left Dorsch alone for several hours. When the dinghy returned, only Haiti was aboard. He claimed an accident had occurred in the forest, saying Ramin was badly injured and needed urgent assistance. Upon reaching the site, Haiti brandished a shotgun, telling Dorsch, “You die now.” A struggle ensued, and Haiti shifted tactics, assaulting Dorsch sexually before binding her to a tree, where she endured hours of torment.
Dorsch eventually broke free, spotting Haiti’s flashlight in the distance and sprinting to the shoreline. She clambered onto a fellow traveler’s boat, escaping with her life. Police later discovered Ramin’s remains among campfire ashes, confirming Haiti’s murder. The case sparked sensational media speculation about cannibalism, prompting outrage among French Polynesians who felt the coverage reinforced harmful stereotypes.
9 The Blanche Bay Massacre
In 1878, Methodist Reverend George Brown dispatched four Fijian missionaries to Papua New Guinea. Their mission balanced the delicate act of conversion against the possibility of severe cultural insult. The Tolai tribe, however, appeared unimpressed by the missionaries’ overtures.
The missionaries were slain and eaten at the behest of tribal leader Taleli. Brown, apparently forgetting Christian pacifism, retaliated by burning an entire village linked to the murders, killing at least ten people. British colonial authorities later cleared Brown of any wrongdoing.
Brown later boasted, “The natives respect us more than they did, and as they all acknowledge the justice of our cause they bear us no ill will.” Contemporary newspaper commentary warned that missionary endeavors could spark wars of extermination, suggesting withdrawal might be wiser. In 2007, the Tolai tribe, having abandoned cannibalism, issued a formal apology for the killings.
8 Andrei Kurochkin’s Siberian Fishing Trip
In 2012, Andrei Kurochkin and three companions embarked on a Siberian taiga fishing expedition. Their jeep and supplies sank into a river, turning a few‑week trip into a grueling four‑month ordeal. Kurochkin perished during this period, and one other participant remains missing.
Survivors Alexei Gorulenko and Aleksandr Abdullaev were rescued, and Kurochkin’s remains were discovered, showing clear signs of butchery. Gorulenko altered his story, claiming Kurochkin died from a leg injury before the group resorted to cannibalism for survival, hacking off flesh as they trekked to safety. Abdullaev faced no charges, while Gorulenko was initially tried for murder but escaped prison, later receiving a 12‑year sentence after the Russian Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s decision.
Kurochkin’s widow expressed horror, lamenting the remnants of her husband: “One foot with toes, one finger, and the back of his skull with some hair. This is all I have left from the man I loved.” The case underscores the brutal decisions forced by extreme isolation.
7 Giovanni Da Verrazzano’s Final Voyage To The New World
Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer active in the early 1500s, first impressed King Francis I of France after ventures in North Africa. Commissioned for New World expeditions, he sought a clear passage to the Pacific and lucrative Asian trade routes.
His early voyages charted Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. On a third trip, he reached Brazil, returning to France laden with exotic timber. In 1528, Verrazzano launched his final sea journey, again heading toward the Americas. He landed in Florida before sailing south into the Caribbean.
Near Guadeloupe, Verrazzano reportedly launched a rowboat toward an island, where his crew observed from afar as he was killed and allegedly eaten by the island’s inhabitants. Some historians doubt the cannibalism claim, suggesting instead that Verrazzano may have been a French pirate named Jean Florentine, captured and hanged by the Spanish. The story remains contested.
6 Thomas Baker And Seven Of His Followers Are Eaten By The Villagers Of Nabutautau
Fiji, historically dubbed “the Cannibal Isles,” saw Methodist Reverend Thomas Baker arrive in 1859. He survived until July 1867, when he ventured deep into Viti Levu to attempt converting a local chief.
Legend says Baker offered the chief a comb as a peace‑making gift. When the chief rejected the gospel, Baker reclaimed the comb, inadvertently touching the chief’s head—a grave insult in local custom. Whether this incident truly occurred is uncertain; tensions likely stemmed from broader distrust of sanctimonious outsiders.
Regardless, Baker and seven of his followers were slain and consumed by the Nabutautau villagers. The tribe later believed the act invoked a curse, prompting a 2003 visit by eleven of Baker’s descendants. A formal apology and a curse‑lifting ritual were performed, marking a reconciliation.
5 Richard Parker Is Killed And Eaten Out Of ‘Necessity’
In 1884, four men set sail from Southampton in a yacht bound for Australia. Two months into the voyage, a rogue wave capsized the vessel, leaving the crew adrift in a dinghy with only two tins of turnips, rationed over twelve days.
When supplies ran out, the 17‑year‑old cabin boy Richard Parker, having drunk seawater, grew gravely ill. Captain Thomas Dudley, noting their familial obligations, told crew member Edwin Stephens, “The boy is dying… Human flesh has been eaten before.” Parker was then pinned down while Dudley thrust a penknife into his throat. The trio drank Parker’s blood and ate his liver and heart, setting aside chunks for later consumption before discarding the rest overboard.
Rescued later, Dudley openly admitted the act, arguing it was a desperate necessity. Most of England sympathized, even shaking hands with the men during their trial. Nonetheless, they were found guilty of murder, sentenced to death, then reduced to six months’ imprisonment. The fourth sailor, who participated in the cannibalism but not the murder, escaped charges.
4 Oliver Fellows Tomkins And James Chalmers Keep Promise To Visit Cannibal Islanders
Congregationalist missionaries Oliver Fellows Tomkins and James Chalmers operated in Papua New Guinea, with Chalmers having spent 23 years there and Tomkins just over a year. In 1901, both men attempted to spread the Christian gospel to the Goaribari Island inhabitants, traveling along the Aird River.
Tomkins recorded a harrowing encounter: a short service aboard the ship was interrupted by the sight of twenty canoes approaching. The canoes lingered for three hours, inspecting everything from rigging to buttons, urging the men to come ashore. The missionaries declined, promising to visit the village the following morning.
True to their word, Tomkins, Chalmers, and several crew members went ashore the next day, where they were slain and eaten. Their bones were later displayed by the islanders, cementing a grim legacy.
3 Owen Coffin And His Crewmates Eat Each Other After Whale Attack
Seventeen‑year‑old Owen Coffin served aboard the whaling ship Essex, which embarked on a sperm‑whale hunt in the Pacific. In November 1820, a massive whale struck the Essex twice, sinking it. Crew member Owen Chase vividly described the second blow, noting the whale’s ferocious tail and half‑emerged head.
The survivors escaped in three small boats, rationing the bodies of deceased crewmates. After more than two months adrift, the men on Coffin’s boat drew lots to decide who would be sacrificed for sustenance. Coffin drew the short straw; when his cousin, the ship’s captain, offered to take his place, Coffin allegedly replied, “No, I like my lot as well as any other.”
The boat was eventually rescued on the South American coast on February 23, 1822, after 92 days at sea. The harrowing ordeal inspired Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby‑Dick.
2 John Williams’s Poorly Timed Visit To Erromango
John Williams, a prolific missionary with over two decades of experience in the South Pacific, met his end in 1839 while exploring Vanuatu (then the New Hebrides). Alongside fellow missionary James Harris, Williams arrived on Erromango island shortly after European sandalwood traders had violently clashed with locals.
The recent violence painted Williams and Harris as threats. Harris was clubbed to death, and Williams fled toward the sea before being clubbed and shot with arrows. Their bodies were subsequently consumed by the islanders.
In 2009, Williams’s descendants visited the murder site, and, echoing the earlier reconciliation with the Nabutautau tribe, the Erromango people performed a ceremony to lift a perceived curse, seeking closure for both sides.
1 The Lost Franklin Expedition
In 1845, Sir John Franklin set sail with the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, aiming to navigate the final uncharted stretch of the Northwest Passage in the Arctic. The expedition began with 134 men, reduced to 129 after five were discharged in Greenland.
The ships vanished, prompting numerous rescue attempts. No survivors were found; all 129 crew members eventually perished. Lady Franklin, John’s wife, funded a series of searches, the last being the 1857 steam schooner Fox, which uncovered letters indicating Franklin’s death in April 1848.
In 1992, archaeologists discovered 400 bone fragments on King William Island, bearing cut marks consistent with defleshing. The wreck of HMS Erebus was located in 2014, followed by HMS Terror in 2016, finally solving the mystery of the lost expedition.
David is a freelance writer and windowlicker. You can read more of his writing @ CultureRoast.com and check out his videos @ YouTube.com/CultureRoast.