PHOTO: Chupacabra - Texas, 2003

Chupacabra - Texas, ca. 2003

This is a photo of the actual Chupacabra taken in Texas, and received by this investigator in 2003.  The unknown photographer said he struck it with his vehicle.  The chupacabra photo has been enlarged for clarity; no other modifications have been made.

"Chupacabra" translates into English as "Goat Sucker," as the chupacabra is said to prey upon goats, parakeets, dogs, and chickens with a vampiric bite which drains its victims of blood.

The Fortean Times first reported on the chupacabra in the February/March issue of 1996 (FT:85) as "Puerto Rica's Mammal Mutilator."  In a brief column, it notes that similar reports had been made as early as the 1970s.

© The Weirding, 2017

Mississippi Man Kills Chupacabra

A Mississippi man claims to have killed a chupacabra in his barn, though authorities say it is likely to be a dog with mange.  The hunter dismisses the claim however, noting the creature's glowing red eyes, complete lack of fur, and blue skin color. 

"I ain't never seen no blue coyote," he tells reporters.

© C Harris Lynn, 2013

Prince Chupa

Prince George's Hospital in Maryland banned smoking on-site on June 1^st, forcing smokers to break in the woods surrounding the facility.  Since then, eyewitness reports of a Chupacabra, or chupacabra-like, creature have flooded the area.  The hospital "adopted" the little creature, naming it "Prince Chupa."

A team trapped Prince Chupa briefly and took several close-up pictures of it.  According to lab technician Joe Livermore, "It’s got a rat tail and a head like a deer."  He added that it may be a cross between a rat, a dog, and a kangaroo, but admitted that he has no idea exactly what Prince Chupa is.

MSNBC has pictures and a video of the creature, which was released after being photographed. Witnesses say it is shy and there may be more than one.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

13-year-old Shoots Chupacabra

13-year-old Carter Pope of La Salle, Texas, claims to have shot and killed what he thinks may be a chupacabra.  His father doubted his claim until he saw the carcass for himself.  "It looks like nothing I have ever personally seen before," Carter's father told reporters.

Carter said the creature was "moving slowly across" an open field near his home when he saw it and he immediately thought it was a chupacabra.  "It started shaking slowly.  There was no hair at all on it.  Its back legs were shriveled up."  The creature was about 200 yards from where Carter stood.  He shot it three times.

Pictures of the beast appear to show what is likely to be a coyote or wild dog with mange, but skin from the possible chupacabra has been sent to labs for testing.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Unknown Creature Discovered in Louisville, KY

Mark Cothren shot and killed a strange animal on his Kentucky property on December 18^th, 2010, and no one is certain what the creature is! While many have guessed everything from raccoon to dog, the Chupacabra seems to be everyone's favorite choice.

I actually think the creature looks like a kangaroo infected with mange.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Tennessee - January, 1934: Carnivorous Kangaroo or Chupacabra?

In January of 1934, rural Tennessee was under attack from a creature, or creatures, eyewitnesses reported as "fast as lightning" that "looked like a giant kangaroo."  The creature was said to leap and jump about fields, but also attack geese, pets, and ducks.  Kangaroo are vegetarian and generally considered docile.

The outbreak was carried by newspapers nationwide, but largely as a means for ridicule.  Yet eyewitnesses refused to back-down.  A report in the Chattanooga Daily Times even "corroborated" one attack in which, "A kangaroolike beast visited the community and killed dogs left and right, and that's all there is to it."  However, the rash of sightings came and went within that single month, and killer, carnivorous kangaroo have never been reported in or around the area since, leading many to dismiss the incident as a hoax.

But this was nearly 50 years before the legend of the chupacabra became widespread.  Could the carnivorous kangaroo attacks in 1934 Tennessee have been the work of a chupacabra, or did a roo just happen to find its way down South from its more natural habitat (kangaroo have been spotted in many states north of Tennessee) and go a little mad on some animals it may have considered threatening?

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

The Gargoyle

According to at least one source, there exists a creature in Puerto Rico that residents have dubbed "The Gargoyle."  Depending upon whom you ask, the Gargoyle is either related to the Chupacabra or a large, winged "bird" with leathery, bat-like wings. Like the Chupacabra, the Gargoyle attacks mostly animals and drains them of blood.  It is said to have attacked horses, cattle, and pets -- mainly cats and dogs -- and goes after healthy animals, as opposed to some other predators, which tend to attack weaker, feeble, or sickly prey.

The Gargoyle is said to live near the ruins of the old Guánica Sugar Mill, and local legend has it that it is within these catacombs that the skeletons of its victims can be found.  However, few witnesses are willing to come forward, fearing their story will attract ridicule and scorn.  However, at least one policeman and a school teacher who collects tales of the paranormal have gone on-record as to its existence.

Worse yet, the Gargoyle is said to have attacked a man in the 1990s.

Reports say the man "soberly" described a winged creature which set upon him in his backyard, raking his belly with talons so sharp they pierced the skin down to the fat.  The policeman on record says he heard "the powerful beating of wings" some months back while patrolling with another policeman near the abandoned Guánica Sugar Mill.  He says he saw nothing.

Some witnesses say the Gargoyle emits a powerful odor some have described as "sulphuric."

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Chupacabra in Tecumseh?

A group of Oklahoma teens saw something strange in the woods behind Tecumseh Highschool and got a picture of it on one of the boys' cellphones.  They believe it is a chupacabra.

The picture clearly shows a creature with shorter forelegs than back, crossing the road.  The unknown creature seems to have short hair, a long tail, and walks on two legs.  The head resembles that of a dog or maybe a horse.

Experts say the chupacabra is an urban legend.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Chupacabra Filmed by Texas Cop?

The first two weeks of July brought as many reports of chupacabra from Texas, including film of an unidentified creature recorded by a policeman's dashboard camera.  25-year-old David Hewitt killed what he said, "looked like a hairless chihuahua, only much bigger."  Hewitt went on to explain how the claws and skinny, pointed tail were completely different from those he has seen on coyotes and wild dogs in the area.

The following video [removed - ed.] shows footage of what some believe to be a chupacabra.  Interesting to note is the gait of the creature: It moves as though the forearms are shorter than the back legs -- which matches the description of the chupacabra. 

It also has hair.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

UPDATE: This is an actual photograph of the Chupacabra, also found in Texas.  I received it in 2003. - 2018

Taxidermist to Stuff Chupacabra

A student brought Jerry Ayer, a teacher at the Blanco Taxidermy School in Texas, a creature for identification - but Ayer could not identify the beast, either. He put it in his freezer, where it resides to this day.

The specimen is hairless, with lathery, gray skin and large fangs,. Ayer says the front legs are longer than those of a normal coyote. Ayer says he has never seen anything like it. The alleged chupacabra was poisoned by Ayer's former student who originally thought his barn was infested by mice. The specimen is whole and in very good condition, as Ayer has been keeping it in the freezer.

Prior to the poisoning, there were several reported sightings in the area of an animal matching Ayer's description of the "chupacabra" in his freezer. He plans to stuff and mount the creature, then offer it to a local museum for display.

I don’t know what to call it, I'll just call it a chupacabra too.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

What is Killing the Bunnies?

Copyright, Warner Brothers

Since last summer, over 30 bunny rabbits have been killed in the German towns of Witten and Dortmund. Most were decapitated and completely drained of blood.

Pet owners are stunned and going to extraordinary lengths to protect their beloved animals -- buying locks for the hutches and hiding them in copses near their homes, their basements, or garages. Many of the pets were not visible from the road, leading some to speculate that whomever is responsible is using Web tools, such as Google Street View, to find them.

The violent nature of the pets' deaths makes this one of the most bizarre and atrocious acts of widespread animal abuse Germany has ever seen -- especially since the affected towns are so idyllic. In one incident, schoolchildren discovered the bodies of several bloodless, decapitated bunnies in a sandpit on the playground. Police fear the killer may graduate from bunnies to people and have put together a special task force to track him, or her, down. They are examining the corpses for traces of DNA and have questioned over 300 people, to no avail.

Now, this is a paranormal blog, but I do a pretty good job of keeping things on an even keel; I am not predisposed to CoIntelPro conspiracy theories, superstition, or alien abductions. However, let's look at the evidence here:

• Most of the pets were kept in backyards or gardens, hidden from public view
• The MO of decapitation and draining the body of all blood is unusual, but the general type of attack is similar to that of the Chupacabra
• No suspicious person(s) have ever been reported in or near the area before or after the attacks

What is killing the bunnies in these two towns? While I agree the basic evidence suggests human intervention, an animal should not be ruled out; actually, an animal makes more sense than anything: It explains why no suspicious people have been spotted, how the rabbits which were hidden from public view were discovered, and the basic MO. But what kind of animal decapitates its victims, then drains it of blood? (Not the Chupacabra.)

What really struck me about this article is the quote from one of the police working the case: "An unknown person has cut off the head and drained off the blood in a box or a bottle."

Again, not one for conspiracy theories, but that statement alone tells me they aren't even considering an animal attacker!

This is the problem: In uneducated regions, the population tends to leap to superstitious conclusions, such as the Goat-Sucker; in more "civilized" areas of the Western world, most of the populace will go out of their way to avoid such theories. The real truth usually lays somewhere in-between.

There definitely are species -- even genus (geni?) -- on this earth of which we are unaware, and there definitely are truly sick people capable of going to such bizarre lengths to terrorize their neighbors and random people. But cultural mores too often obfuscate actual investigation, which should be undertaken with completely open minds. 

As I said, the real truth usually lay somewhere between these two extremes:

Elmer Fudd.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Chupacabra or Mangey Fox?

Back in July, a woman in Texas hit what she believes is a Chupacabra with her car. She then cut its head off and stuck it in her freezer. While she plans to have it mounted and has been selling T-shirts and other things, a local newspaper took samples of the creature and sent them off for DNA testing.

This is about the third or fourth time that a Chupacabra has been killed in or near Texas. The crazy thing about it is that the DNA tests that are always reported to be done are almost never heard of! Undoubtedly, some of them have turned out to be other things - the most celebrated of which (by skeptics) was a case a few years ago where the supposed Chupacabra turned out to be nothing more than a dog. But, again, this sort of thing has happened several times and yet the only DNA results we have heard about are the ones that make the person in question look stupid.

In this particular case (the latest one), the idea that what the woman actually killed is a grey fox with mange has been highly-touted. One expert noted that, when an animal has mange, its hair falls out and the skin turns a bluish color, matching the description of the creature the woman hit. However, other people have noted that at least one other supposed Chupacabra killed in recent years looked exactly like this one. Now it is possible that Texas has a mange problem amongst its wild foxes and canines - after all, it is a very communicable disease - but it also seems likely that, were this the case, experts would be very well aware of it and we would have heard more about it.

We'll keep watching the story, but we can only hope that once the DNA results come in, we hear about it! If it is just a fox, I guarantee you we will; otherwise, who can say?