Chupacabra
Stories and legends of vampire-like creatures have been part of folklore for as long as written records can show. Among these, one of the most notorious ones is the Chupacabra (literally, from Spanish, goat sucker), which, for a period, was even more debated and feared than the Loch Ness monster or Big Foot.
The blood-sucking creature has been studied by cryptozoologists in North and South America since the fifties, and, even if its main territory seems to be Puerto Rico, it has been sighted in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and the United States.
Stories surrounding the mysterious creature are usually very similar, different only in a few details: the preferred victims are goats and chickens, even if it attacks other types of animals too, and they are all drained of all their blood.
Apparently, the allegedly half human half vampire beast feeds on animals by biting them on their neck, leaving them completely emptied of their blood, but absolutely intact. The freakiest thing is that when these events happen, no signs of struggle or fight are found at the scene.
What the Chupacabra leaves behind, after its attacks, are two or three puncture marks – as large as a human finger -, usually attributed to its two large fangs, or three large claws on both its hands and feet, according to different sources.
The name “Chupacabra”, was itself originated after the discovery of some dead goats in Puerto Rico, and the first registered attack in the United States is said to have happened in Arizona, in 1956. Even more noticeable were the multiple attacks that occurred in different regions of Puerto Rico in 1995.
Some even say that, only in Puerto Rico, more than 2000 reported cases of animal mutilation have been attributed to the mystical creature.
According to local authorities, though, these attacks had been carried out by stray dogs or exotic animals, like the panther, illegally introduced in the Country. Others have even talked about a cult, or a hoax created to make fun of the Puerto Rican population.
The Chupacabra has been witnessed by some, in the course of history, who described it sometimes very differently. To some, it looked like a half-alien half-dinosaur creature covered in quills, while to others, it was more similar to a panther with a snake-like tongue.
The most imaginative theories even describe the deaths related to the Chupacabra as an indication of alien presence. The mutilations themselves, though, are not attributed to aliens, but to their pets or experiments that went wrong. Among experts, those are known as ABEs, or Anomalous Biological Entities.
Those who believe in the latter theory, also believe that there is a government and mass media conspiracy to keep the truth from scattering within the public, probably to avoid panic. This idea keeps spreading, even though the President of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Agricultural Commission, Mr Juan Lopez, asked for an official investigation in order to clarify the situation.
Some even go as far as to say that the Puerto Rican government actually managed to catch a couple of Chupacabra exemplars and has done some experiments on them.
Most scientists who have looked into the mystery, though, seem to believe that these attacks are due to canines creatures, like coyotes, suffering from mange, a disease which has been spreading because of global warming.
This, in fact, would explain why the Chupacabras, or mange-affected coyotes, would attack livestock: this disease affects coyotes and canines to a very serious extent and would make sense that once debilitated they would attack some more easy prey.
This, though, still does not explain the blood-sucking part, which has been minimized by most as an “exaggeration”, or a “myth”.
Qual es la verdad? Es un misterio!
Author Letizia
https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/chupacabra.htm
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