Events
The full moon is supposed to be the time when werewolves roam, however, new research shows that one should be much more afraid during this phenomenon.
According to a study published in the journal PLoS ONE, African lions are more likely to attack and kill humans just after the full moon. The danger is due to the fact that lions tend to catch prey when the moon is full, as the prey most often does not see the predator approaching. For 10 days after a full moon, the waning moon does not rise immediately after sunset. “The number of attacks on people in the evening increases dramatically during the first five days after a full moon,” says researcher Craig Packer from the University of Minnesota. “This is really amazing.”
In the moonlight
For Tanzanians, where Packer and his colleagues conducted the study, the risk of a lion attack is very real: more than 1,000 people in southern Tanzania were attacked by lions between 1988 and 2009 years. More than two-thirds of these lion encounters were fatal: lions ate their victims.
Earlier studies have shown that lions become very active hunters just after the full moon, excessively attacking wildebeests and other animals. Since the problem of lion attacks is a real disaster in Tanzania, Packer decided to find out whether lion attacks on humans are also related to the lunar cycle. He and his colleagues analyzed nearly 500 attacks on people in Tanzania since 1988, excluding attacks that occurred during the day and when people they themselves initiated the lion hunt. When studying each attack, they noted the time of day when the attack occurred and the month.
They found exactly what they suspected: lunar impact is taking place, as lion attacks within 10 days after the full moon were 2 to 4 times more frequent than attacks 10 days before the full moon. The time of year didn't matter. They also found that on a moonlit night during the rainy season, when the night sky is cloudy, lion attacks occurred three times more often than during a bright night, when there are almost no clouds.
A harbinger of danger
Packer explains that most attacks take place in the early evening hours. A few days before the full moon, the moon appears early, which means that the darkest time is very early in the morning, when very few people can be found outside. After the full moon, however, the darkest time is between sunset and moonrise, with many more people outside, making them more vulnerable to attack.
“If you went outside and saw the full moon, you can be sure that this is the safest night,” says Packer. “But seeing the full moon is a good sign that it's best to stay home the next nights.” “The results obtained may apply not only to Tanzania,” the expert continues, explaining why people are so often afraid of the dark and such an attribute of mystical powers as the full moon.
These nocturnal predators rely on darkness to sneak up and attack humans,” he concluded.