Mid-1970s Rio Grande Valley South Texas Sightings of what may have been a condor linked to a rash of mutilated cattle. Blood was removed to the last drop. Early 1970s. Brownsville Texas Rancher finds a bull dead - no blood around it, no tracks. 1994 Puerto Rico 4 or 6 "little greys" found under a bed and chased out of the house with a broom. (reported by Joyce Murphy.) March 11 1995 Orocovis Eight sheep found dead. The animals had three strange marks or puncture holes in the chest and were described as "completely drained of blood." August 1995 Canvanas, Puerto Rico Chupacabra blamed for the death of about 150 animals. Sun Nov 19 1995 Puerto Rico The chupas is blamed in the deaths of dozens of turkeys, rabbits, goats, cats, dogs and even horses and cows... Said to have ripped open the bedroom window of a house in the north-central city of Caguas, destroyed a stuffed teddy bear, and left a puddle of slime and a piece of rancid white meat on the windowsill. It had hairy arms and huge red eyes. In another attack it came at about 7 a.m. "It just showed up and -- poof -- it vanished." Nov 19 1995 - 35 times in three months. Canovanas Puerto Rico Resident saw it one afternoon in his back yard when it came out of the brush and bit the family dog. "I think it belongs to the monkey family, but it isn't a monkey exactly," he said. ``It ran like a monkey and was about four feet tall, but it didn´t have a tail.´´ Dec 7 near Guanica, Puerto Rico Unusual bloodless deaths of chickens and cows. Dec 14 Naguabo on the east coast Several caged rabbits were "found dead with holes in the neck area, without a drop of blood." Other rabbits had disappeared. Near rabbit cage was a track with a three-toed claw. Fri 15 Dec 1995 Puerto Rico In one year is thought responsible for at least 1OOO killings- goats, sheep, cattle, chickens and other animals. There are many eye witness accounts. The creature is 4 - 6 feet tall, walks upright, is not humanoid, has large oval alien type eyes. 18 Dec 1995 Puerto Rico Animals died as the result of a single puncture mark found on some part of the body which apparently drained them of blood. One photo shows a Siamese cat with a puncture mark through its skull. Dec 18 1995 Puerto Rico Local tabloid Vocero echoed the possibility that giant vampire bats had infiltrated the island in cargo shipments proceeding from South America. Normal sized bats are fairly common in the Caribbean. Thurs Dec 21 3 am near Guanica, Puerto Rivo 44-year-old Osvaldo Claudio Rosado was washing a car. He was grabbed from behind. He tried to fight off the intruder and saw a black-haired "gorilla" about five feet tall which ran off. Rosado had cuts in his abdomen, possibly torn by fingernails or claws. Thurs Dec 21 1995 Klamath Falls Pregnant heifer dead with her right ear gone, hide cut from her face, the tongue cut lengthwise along the top of the teeth, all four teats removed leaving black circles on the surface of the udder, and the rectum and vagina cut out in a neat "keyhole" cut. No blood at any of the excisions or on the ground. Tues Dec 26 early morning hours Puerto Rico - Torrecilla Baja region Woman heard strange noises in her house and dog barking. Siamese cat found dead with the genitals removed, two guinea hens with their throats slit, a chicken with "perforations," and four ducks and four rabbits dead in their cages. Tues Dec 26 1995 Puerto Rico - San German Eleven goats found dead. Jan 4 1996 Isabella County, Michigan. Eight calves frozen and dead. Two were skinned of their hide from head to hooves; six were skinned of all their hide from neck to hooves. All were black and white Holsteins and about a week old. Jan 7 1996 Klamath Falls, Oregon One week old calf dead and mutilated. Right ear had been cut off and the entire skull had been removed. NW Miami rural area March 1996 Killed about 40 animals. One woman saw a dog-like figure standing up, with two short hands in the air. May 2 1996 Rio Grande Valley South Texas Pet goat dead with three puncture wounds in its neck. 6 y.o. goat found with "telltale marks of the "Chupacabra"
Thur May 2 Juarez Mexico Many small mammels, dogs, etc. have met with this tall "animal"-like being with three toed feet and hands, on haunches with the fore arms suspended at chest level very similar to a kangaroo. It has a row of spikes or straight feather like projections from it's head and down it's back that raise and lower and have been seen to glow with their own light. Has been seen to take off on all fours. The "sucking " device seems to be a tube like projection from the mouth.
Thur May 2 1996 Mexico and Miami Attacks are becoming more distributed. Wounds resemble 1/4" holes similar to a biopsy puncture that extend completely through muscle tissue and in at least one instance the wounds were discovered pronouncedly through the inner tissue without leaving any wound traces on the surface layer skin. May 3 1996 Calderon Village Sinaloa, Northern Mexico. A giant bat-like creature terrorizes a village. Goats are found daily with their blood sucked dry, witnesses said today. Farmers have formed night vigilante squads. "We are telling people to keep the women and children locked up inside at night" a villager said, "Nobody knows really what it is." Dozens of goats have fallen victim to the bloodsucker. It has allegedly attacked one human. Fri May 3 Mexican State of Sonora - Veracruz and Agua Prieta. Numerous animals drained of blood and a vague report of a human suffering the same fate. Fri May 3 Sinaloa State, the state below Sonora State. Dead cows and sheep. The animal(s) is described as 1-1.5 feet and able to take flight.
Fri May 3 Six other states in Mexico Similar attacks have been reported. May 9 1996 2 a.m. Espinoza Family - a front door was opened and a creature was seen 3 to 4 foot high with scaly skin, clawed hands, red eyes, and a row of spines from the skullcap and down the back. The creature "mumbled and gestured". May 9 1996 5-5.3O a.m. - dawn A seven year old boy in the same house said the creature stood on his bed and briefly on his chest. Both the older and younger Espinoza family members described a smell "like a wet dog." May 10 1996 Florida Reports of a chupacabra among Hispanics. Wed May 12Mexico's southern state of Chiapas 28 dead rams found with puncture marks
"The world's 3 species of blood-sucking bats live predominantly in the warm climates of Latin America. Similar recent cases have emerged from Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and El Salvador." "Puerto Rico harbors a number of military animal research laboratories." "Seeing either the creature or moving lights in the sky has led to speculation that the chupacabras might be from outer space." "The New Jersey Devil adheres to descriptions of physical appearence as well as the nature of the wounds. Puncture wounds are often left resembling the classic vampire bite." "Very large, slanted, glowing red eyes. Face is flat, perhaps simian-like, body some say is covered with spotted skin "like a frog's" or has "spikes on its head and back" with "chicken legs" that have a 3-toed foot about six inches long. Such tracks have been found and photographed in dirt near dead animals. This creature has been seen to hop, or fly, from the ground to a tree or from trees to the ground." "It attacks so fast, everything from horses to sheep. It sucks out the blood completely." There is a body of thought that the bats properly belong in the primate family. If so then these dudes are our rellies. Note that humans are the easiest of prey compared to goats and other animals yet there is no evidence they have hurt anyone. Also note the similarities with spring heeled jack, jack the ripper and the "devil" of the 15th-17th century that may have sparked the witchunts. Hmmm. There'll be some red Christian faces if this turns out to be so. Related stories: Chupacabramania Reigns Tales of Mysterious 'Goatsucker' Fascinate, Terrorize Mexico Mexican 'Goatsucker' Story Becoming Litmus Test for Cynicism Among Journalists
It's an exclusive club that includes the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, aliens, ghosts and leprechauns. Now there's a new member: Chupacabras. Chupacabras (pronounced Chew-pah-kahb-rahs) means "goat sucker'' in Spanish. First reported in Puerto Rico almost two years ago, the Chupacabras has become monstrously famous on the island. And now, thanks to almost constant publicity in the Spanish-language media in the mainland United States, Chupacabras is steadily gaining notoriety among many Latinos here -- including a Cambridge, Mass. resident who reportedly sighted the Chupacabras there. Some who claim to have seen it say that it stands between 4 and 5 feet tall, has red eyes, fangs, grey skin, powerful hind legs, spinal quills that double as wings and a penchant for sucking the blood out of livestock and pets.
The Chupacabras sightings are vast, including in Miami, New York City, New Jersey, San Antonio, San Francisco and even Moscow. But a letter sent to the Massachusetts office of the Puerto Rican government last month trumpeted the first local "appearance.'' The letter, written by hand in Spanish, was addressed to the 'Very esteemed governer (of Puerto Rico),'' and began: "This letter is to give you some very important information regarding national security.'' It went on to say: "You can find the Chupacabras near Pampas restaurant in Cambridge,'' where it was spotted drinking the blood of a cat. Finally, the letter, which is two pages long and quite serious in tone, ended with "I await your help in this matter.'' "When I first saw that letter I said, OK, this might be some kind of psycho,'' said Tito Roman, director of the office. "And because there was no return address we couldn't really respond to it. But we got a good laugh out of it. I thought, oh Jesus, it's been spotted in Cambridge now. Run for your life!'' The Cambridge letter is just one example of what can be best described as Chupacabramania, fueled primarily by Spanish-language media, including the popular Miami-based Univision talk show "Cristina.'' Sujayla Curras was the producer of a recent "Cristina'' episode about the Chupacabras. "Chupacabras is hot,'' she said in a telephone interview. "It's happening. There are T-shirts about it, merchandising like you wouldn't believe. ... It's got it going on, like Brad Pitt.'' Locally, $10 Chupacabras T-shirts are for sale at many stores, including La Discoteca, a variety store on Washington Street in Roxbury. "We've sold out three times in the last month,'' said a cashier, chuckling. Many consumers of Chupacabras merchandise say they view the mischievous creature as a kind of cultural mascot, similar to the Irish leprechaun. There is even a Chupacabras home page on the Internet, which is said to have gotten as many as 340 hits in a day for a total of 20,000 since it was created last year. And local Spanish radio stations are playing songs dedicated to the beast, such as "Goat Busters'' and "Chupacalafragalisticexpialidocious.'' It all began in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, where goats and other domesticated animals were reportedly showing up with deep puncture wounds in their necks. About 30 citizens of the town have reported seeing the beast walking down the street, swooping out of the sky or leaping over trees. Ismael Aguayo works in the civil defense office in the town, and is the chief detective in the Chupacabras sightings there. "We are all very worried here,'' he said. "Our animals are dying at an alarming rate. Many people have described the creature to me, and they all say the same things, including our local pastor and many other credible, Christian citizens. For now it's just animals being attacked. But we are worried that our children will be next.'' The mayor of the Canóvanas, José Soto, responded to public panic there by leading a search for the Chupacabras, armed with a 12-inch crucifix. "The search included our civil defense forces and the police of our town,'' said Nidea Rodríguez, the director of public relations in Soto's office. The search was inconclusive, she said, and the investigation continues.
As outrageous as the idea of a Chupacabras may seem, dozens of animal carcasses have been turned in to the government of Puerto Rico, especially in the Canovanas area, prompting many skeptics, including talk show host Cristina Saralege, to change their minds. "I used to laugh every time someone mentioned the Chupacabras,'' said Saralege in a telephone interview. "But after doing the show and listening to many serious, credible people, I have to tell you, I don't think all the US sightings are the Chupacabras, but as far as what's going on in Puerto Rico, I don't think it's a normal animal at all.'' Meanwhile, the Puerto Rico government, responding to what it called "hysteria'' fueled by comments from talk show hosts and others, began conducting public necropsies on animals supposedly killed by the Chupacabras.
The conclusion: That the Chupacabras is most likely a large stray dog. Nonetheless, the sightings continue. Three weeks after the first airing of the Cristina show in Miami, the Chupacabras appeared there. Three weeks after that, it was in LA. In Miami to date, as many as 50 animals have been reported as victims of the Chupacabra. "People here are hysterical,'' said a Miami police department spokesman. Last Monday, the University of Miami, working with the Metro Zoo, conducted public necropsies on animals supposedly murdered by the Chupacabras in Dade County in an attempt to assuage growing fears. "The event was well-attended and well-covered by the local press, Spanish and English,'' said Miami police detective Pat Brickman. He said that in the months leading up to the autopsies, the Miami police were receiving dozens of Chupacabras reports weekly. "We had to conduct these autopsies to say, 'Idiots, these are dog bites,''' said Brickman. "There are hungry stray dogs out there, and they have to eat, too. So they attack goats and chickens in people's yards. "It happens on every farm and in every rural area in the United States. But when you get people who believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny, they believe everything they see on TV.'' Some say the myth of the Chupacabras should not be so easily dismissed, however. At least one other legendary creature in Puerto Rican history -- the Vampire of Moca -- turned out to be real, sort of. The "vampire,'' which mauled animals, turned out to be crocodiles introduced illegally into the delicate ecology of the small island and had mauled animals as they sought refreshment at certain watering holes. "While it's funny to laugh about the Chupacabras, we should not discount the mounds of evidence people have found, nor should we disrespect the reports of hundreds of people,'' said Hector 'Tito' Armstrong, the Princeton University student who inititated the Chupacabras homepage. Whatever the truth is about the Chupacabras legend, one thing is certain: It is popular, it's here and it's profitable.
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