The Lions of Tsavo were maneless, perhaps due to environmental variables, although maneless lions are not unique to Tsavo. Their taste for man may have been due to an outbreak of Rinderpest at the time, which may have depleted their normal prey. The legend surrounding this event is almost entirely based on the books written by Patterson which became run-away best sellers for their day, and made Patterson a good bit of money. It is possible, if not probable, the count of 140 deaths may have been trumped up a bit. Patterson certainly set himself up as the hero of the story, which certainly fit in with the Western notion of the "great white hunter" of the period. It is known that he killed both lions (both nearly nine feet long), and that they did indeed kill and eat humans. It is also possible that they did this because they may not have been able to kill and eat their normal prey as the jaws of the two show some sign of unusual dental disease. They now reside in the permanent collection of the Field Museum of Chicago, but the government of Kenya is moving to try to obtain the pair.