Chupacabra Mystery

Chupacabra (also chupacabras /tʃupa'kabɾas/, from Spanish chupar: to suck, cabra: goat; goat sucker) is a cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico (where these sightings were first reported), Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities. The name comes from the animal's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Eyewitness sightings have been claimed as early as 1990 in Puerto Rico, and have since been reported as far north as Maine, and as far south as Chile. It is supposedly a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail. Most biologists and wildlife management officials view the chupacabra as an urban legend.

The first purported attacks occurred in March of 1995 in Puerto Rico. In this attack eight sheep were discovered dead, each with three puncture wounds in the chest area and were completely drained of blood. In 1975, similar killings in the small town of Moca, were attributed to El Vampiro de Moca (The Vampire of Moca). Initially it was suspected that the killings were done by members of a Satanic cult; later more killings were reported around the island, and many farms reported loss of animal life. Each of the animals had their bodies bled dry through a series of small circular incisions.

Puerto Rican comedian and entrepreneur Silverio Pérez is credited with coining the term "chupacabras" soon after the first incidents were reported in the press. Shortly after the deaths in Puerto Rico, other animal deaths were reported in other countries, such as the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Brazil, the United States and Mexico.

In July 2004, a rancher near San Antonio killed a hairless dog-like creature, which was attacking his livestock. This animal, initially given the name the Elmendorf Beast, was later determined by DNA assay conducted at UC Davis to be a coyote with demodectic or sarcoptic mange. In October 2004, two more carcasses were found in the same area. Biologists in Texas examined samples from the two carcasses and determined they were also coyotes suffering from very severe cases of mange. In Coleman, Texas, a farmer named Reggie Lagow caught an animal in a trap he set up after the deaths of a number of his chickens and turkeys. The animal was described as resembling a mix of hairless dog, rat and kangaroo. Lagow provided the animal to Texas Parks and Wildlife officials for identification, but Lagow reported in a September 17, 2006 phone interview with John Adolfi, founder of the Lost World Museum, that the "critter was caught on a Tuesday and thrown out in Thursday's trash."

In April 2006, MosNews reported that the chupacabra was spotted in Russia for the first time. Reports from Central Russia beginning in March 2005 tell of a beast that kills animals and sucks out their blood. Thirty-two turkeys were killed and drained overnight. Reports later came from neighboring villages when 30 sheep were killed and had their blood drained. Finally eyewitnesses were able to describe the chupacabra. In May of 2006, experts were determined to track the animal down.

In mid-August 2006, Michelle O'Donnell of Turner, Maine, described an "evil looking" rodent-like animal with fangs that had been found dead alongside a road. The animal was apparently struck by a car, and was unidentifiable. Photographs were taken and witness reports seem to be in relative agreement that the creature was canine in appearance, but in widely published photos seemed unlike any dog or wolf in the area. Photos from other angles seem to show a chow- or akita-mixed breed dog. It was reported that "the carcass was picked clean by vultures before experts could examine it". For years, residents of Maine have reported a mysterious creature and a string of dog maulings.

In May 2007, a series of reports on national Colombia news reported more than 300 dead sheep in the region of Boyaca, and the capture of a possible specimen to be analysed by zoologists at Universidad Nacional of Colombia.

In August 2007, Phylis Canion found three animals in Cuero, Texas. She and her neighbors purported to have discovered three strange animal carcasses outside Canion's property. She took photographs of the carcasses and preserved the head of one in her freezer before turning it over for DNA analysis. Canion reported that nearly 30 chickens on her farm had been exsanguinated over a period of years, a factor which led her to connect the carcasses with the chupacabra legend. State Mammologist John Young estimated that the animal in Canion's pictures was a grey fox suffering from an extreme case of mange. In November 2007, biology researchers at Texas State University-San Marcos determined from DNA samples that the suspicious animal was merely a coyote.

In January 11 2008, a new sighting appeared at the province of Philippines: Capiz. Some of the resident from the barangay believed that it was the chupacabra that killed eight chickens. The owner of the chickens saw a dog like animal attacking his chickens.

The most common description of Chupacabra is a reptile-like being, appearing to have leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back. This form stands approximately 3 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 m) high, and stands and hops in a similar fashion to a kangaroo. In at least one sighting, the creature hopped 20 feet (6 m). This variety is said to have a dog or panther-like nose and face, a forked tongue and large fangs. It is said to hiss and screech when alarmed, as well as leave a sulfuric stench behind. When it screeches, some reports note that the chupacabra's eyes glow an unusual red, that gives the witnesses nausea. Some witnesses have reported seeing bat-like wings.

Another description of Chupacabra, although not as common, is described as a strange breed of wild dog. This form is mostly hairless, has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws. It is claimed that this breed might be an example of a dog-like reptile. The corpse of an animal found in León, Nicaragua, and forensically analyzed at UNAN-Leon is claimed as a specimen of this genus. Pathologists at the University found that it was an unusual looking dog-like creature of an unknown species. Unlike conventional predators, the chupacabra is said to drain all of the animal's blood (and sometimes organs) through a single hole or two holes.

The popularity of the chupacabras has resulted in it being featured in several types of merchandise. Some mystery novels that use aspects of the myth as the centerpoint of the plot have been published. Other kinds of book include those that provide a scientific explanation for the phenomena and fairy tales. The Chupacabras has also been featured in films such as Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico and in independent productions including "El Chupacabras" and" Vuelve el Chupacabras". The Chupacabras has been featured in television programs including The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The X-Files and The Venture Bros; it was also mentioned in Will and Grace. The Fantastic Four one-shot comic "Isla de La Muerte" has the four heroes encounter several Chupacabras while they were vacationing in Puerto Rico; in this story, the creatures are a subterranean race that has fallen under the control of the heroes' old enemy, The Mole Man.

Ed Lavandera reporter of CNN, has described the Chupacabras as the "Bigfoot of Latino Culture" and has stated that "El Chupacabras also symbolizes the fear of something that doesn't exist". Following the incident in Cuero, Texas the popularity of the Chupacabras myth was receiving global attention. Phylis Clayton, who was responsible for capturing the alleged specimen, claimed that t-shirts highlighting the event were shipped to countries such as Italy, Guam and Iraq . The publicity that Cuero received following this event has led to some suggesting changing the town's mascot.

From Wikipedia

But for Phylis Canion, it's a search for the lineage of a beast living under the oak trees of her Cuero ranch.

"The interest in the chupacabra has been overwhelming," said the Cuero rancher.

At least, that's the name the strange creature has been given in the last year.

Its DNA has been flown across the continent as Cuero residents search for a final answer about their mysterious, blood-sucking beast.

The much-anticipated results are back from experts at the University of California at Davis.

Last year, the KENS I-Team had scientists from Texas State University evaluate DNA from the animal Canion found.

The animal was one of three peculiar, lavender-colored, dog-like animals Cuero residents found last July.

Results from Texas State University stated the animal is from the coyote family.

But Canion wanted to know more, so she sent more DNA, tooth and tissue samples, off to California.

Results from the University of California at Davis show the animal is in fact a mutt: on the mother's side it is part coyote.

"On the paternal side, it had Mexican wolf in it," said Canion.

Scientists from the University of California at Davis say they can't tell when the Mexican wolf heritage made its way into the gene pool.

It could be generations ago, but Canion believes the father's genes are important and can explain some of the odd characteristics of the creature.

"It was a hybrid, because it has this other breed in it," she said.

Canion is referring to the hairless, odd-colored skin originally thought to be caused by parasites or disease. Now, experts aren't so sure.

The Cuero rancher said she expects further testing to find out where all the hair has gone and why the animal, she says, seems to crave just blood from its victims.

"We still can't figure that one out," she said.

Meantime, an international media storm continues to descend on the small Texas town.

Italy's popular Voyager TV show spent an hour on the story of Canion and her creature.

Japan is sending a television crew this month, too, as the legend continues to grow.

E-mails and letters to Canion at her shop certainly haven't slacked, either.

"It may be quiet out here in rural Cuero, Texas, but the drama still continues. There are still sightings of the animal, and chickens? They keep disappearing, too. Some of it captured in footage by the Discovery Channel," she said.

They had cameras running, heat-seeking cameras, six cameras that ran for 31 days and took over a thousand shots, and in that it also picked this animal up.

That's a lot of images to comb through and may give even more insight into the creature's habits.

Together with the new DNA results, the Cuero rancher is reassured the animal is not a fluke of nature. Canion firmly believes a family of the Cuero creatures are living - and hunting - her property.

T-shirt sales of the chupacabra are still going strong, with more than 16,000 sold already.

There's even been legal action to keep some knock-offs from being sold on eBay where they were going for three times the price.

By Joe Conger / KENS 5 Eyewitness News

March 18, 2008

Just wondering how many of you have encountered something of a cryptozoological nature? I'm talking Bigfoot, Nessie, or just something like no animal you've ever heard of. I think I have and I'll get to that, but the true question is, how much do you like a good televised journey into that type of unknown? It's a perennial favorite that in my world started with terrifying/fascinating broadcasts of In Search Of in the '70s. Eerie music, Leonard Nimoy's dire, gravelly narration and spooky subject matter make this show the one to beat. The Learning Channel aired a two-part documentary now on DVD called Monster Hunters, a work less about the monsters, and (maybe not so obviously) more about the hunters.

Profiling those who creep about in the woods looking for legendary beasties is an unique twist on the journey into the unknown genre, a twist made more bankable by the success of The Blair Witch Project and others that wring tension from the reality that the monsters are hardly ever seen in real life. Monster Hunters is a magnanimous, straight-faced look at six groups of cryptozoologists and fanatics on the prowl for the Jersey Devil, Big Cats in Great Britain, Chupacabras, Cadborosaurus (a Canadian sea monster), The Australian Sasquatch known as the Yowie and the Tasmanian tiger. British Big Cats and the thought-to-be extinct Tasmanian tiger are quite possibly real concerns while the others are all apocryphal, thus those hunting the aforementioned two come off as most believable, while the rest merely sincere, earnest and avocationally battling uphill.

Though all of the hunters are presented minus the light of skepticism - through interviews and camera-crew-accompanied footage of their travails - the Jersey Devil hunting crew is the most endearing, young believers better off creeping through the woods with camcorders than kegs.

For my dime, I'd like more showmanship, and more monsters. By default we're going to get a lot of monster hunters - they're the only ones proven to exist so far - but I (and I think most fans of this stuff) are in it for the monsters and the mordant malaise. Where is the spooky soundtrack music? Where are the ominous voiceovers? Where are all the bits of questionable footage and photography we armchair cryptozoologists crave? Monster Hunters deserves praise for its equanimity, but such an attitude can easily be maintained while still doling out the thrills and chills. Some presumed Chupacabra livestock gore, chilling old photos of the Tasmanian Tiger and tiny amounts of possible Big Cat footage is mostly bolstered by droll interviews, stretched-out Puerto Rican newsreels, oddly colorized on-site footage and the odd drawing or sculpture of a beast.

In the end Monster Hunters is earnest, fairly educational and unsatisfying - like watching a video of someone Yowie hunting - a lot of talk and not much action. As for myself, my late-on-a-moonlit-night, drunken walk along the shore revealed something the size of a small deer sitting down in the waves. When I was about ten yards away it got up and ran into the scrub and pines faster than anything I'd ever seen. I tried to keep walking but got too creeped out and turned back for our camp. Was it a crazed deer or cougar out for a late-night soak? I'll never know, but it delivered the chills in a way that the Monster Hunters DVD can't - but should - match.