There are different types of cannibalism:
1. Endocannibalism – Eating humans from the same community
2. Exocannibalism – Eating humans from other communities
3. Autocannibalism – Eating oneself.
4. Necrocannibalism – Eating the flesh of a person who is already dead
5. Survival cannibalism – Eating humans when the circumstances are dire.
A very intriguing case of cannibalism came up in Germany in 2002. Armin Meiwes, a computer technician put up an ad on personal websites that read: ‘Looking for a well-built 18-30 year old to be slaughtered and then consumed.’ Armin found his man in masochistic Bernd Brandes. They met on the night of March 9, 2001. What happened next is too gory to be written about in this column. Suffice it to say that in May 2006, Armin was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Primitive cannibalism exists in Papua (Indonesia) and among tribes in the Andaman Islands and Africa. Self-cannibalism can be a disorder or a matter of choice.
Despite cannibalism being termed barbaric and savage, society has been surprisingly tolerant towards survival cannibalism. In 1972, 16 people were stranded in the Andes Mountains because of a plane crash. During the 70 days that they were marooned on the mountains, the people ate the flesh of those who had died in the crash. In the 19th century, in the event of a shipwreck, straws were drawn to decide who would be the next human victim.
If the entire world was a concrete jungle, cannibals would be at the top of the totem pole. They would replace the lions as the apex predators. Beware of these cannibals who lurk in our midst always on the prowl. Imagine: You are out on a date. As you are having a small talk with your girlfriend, you see a gleam in her eyes. And suddenly, the mask slips and out come her fangs…
Sadia Zafar
