heres a shitty little paper i wrote on them. acutally, its not little, 6 pages. but read it if you like.
Deep in the heart of Latin America close to thirty years ago, strange occurrences started taking place. Rumors of Alien pets, humanoid creatures, goat-suckers were sprouting up almost everywhere. All these closely related stories revolved around the ever elusive Chupacabra.
I remember back when I was a little boy. I was living in Tucson, Arizona, very close to the US/Mexican border. Many rumors drifted up from our southern neighbors, and one I remember quite clearly is the story of the Chupacabra. My father used it as an incentive to get me to go to bed one night, telling me horror stories of what happened to people who stayed up with the lights on. How it was a beacon to these beasts. Of course I didn’t believe him until he mentioned that a girl had been attacked recently. She was dragged out of her house and killed by the animal. He showed me one of the pictures that had floated around the area, and furthered my fear. Naturally it put me back in line, but the memories never faded.
Through my research I’ve realized that he was just exaggerating the story to get me into bed, yet there is still a mystery to this creature. Many of the reports vary in the descriptions, or the events that have taken place, which makes it extremely difficult to judge what may be real, and what may be someone trying to get famous. Many people claim the animal has only attacked livestock, leaving authorities completely baffled with most attacks. “Marco Antonio de Souza, landlord of the Nova Esperana farm, said 5 goats and 3 sheep were killed there. Each was found with a single spot in its neck. ‘It is very weird, because an animal that kills to eat smashes its victim,’ Souza said� (CNI News). One thing that stays consistent in most believable attacks is that the animals show no signs of struggle, and there is a lack of blood leakage even though there are holes driven right through the neck. Many attacks are blamed on dogs, but the owners of the livestock and eyewitnesses disagree. Another attack remains quite unexplained. “Until recently, the creature kept itself south of the border, busily doing unholy damage in the Republic of Mexico. In one place it visited recently, the small town of Villalba, Veracruz, 20 roosting chickens were found slaughtered, their chests perforated as if by some huge talon. Victor Santiago, Villalba’s chief of police, said, ‘We have no explanation, because it is difficult to catch a chicken that’s asleep in a tree. It’s a very strange case. A very complicated one. In the neighboring town of El Tuque, 16 ducks were similarly massacred…� (Tucson Weekly). I find it interesting that 20 were able to be killed, without any noise being made, and the fact that it was 20 chickens, a hard group of livestock for even a human to deal with, let alone kill.
These disagreements have lead to what is characterized as “The Great Chupacabra Conspiracy.� There are reports of dead Chupacabras being switched by authorities to hide evidence of extraterrestrials, or just to kill the stories. Along with stories of live Chupacabra captures, which have been taken away by the US FBI agency, perhaps it is the X-Files in action. Jorge Talavera claims he shot a chupacabra in August of 2000. “The wounded creature staggered off, but its remains were discovered three days later and delivered to the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN) in Leon. This caused great excitement among cryptozoologists and UFOlogists, only to be deflated when a short time later the university announced that the remains were that of a dog. However, local residents are outraged, insisting that university officials must have switched the genuine Chupacabra remains with that of a dog. Dr. Emundo Torres, vice chancellor and director of scientific research at UNAN-Leon, denies that any such thing was done, but he is assumed to be part of the conspiracy. Talavera claims to have sighted the second Chupacabra, but this one is only ‘about the size of a Pekinese dog,’ which would make it all the easier for the scientists-in-cahoots to switch the body of this genuine fierce creature with that of a yappy, spoiled pup� (Skeptical Inquirer). Talavera has no evidence of this, but when reports are explained by a simple dog, or other animal like that, many natives cry out in disagreement.
While many natives agree that it is there, many scientists who believe in the existence of the animal disagree on its origin. “Some think it’s the result of genetic experiments done on vampire bats, others believe it could be extraterrestrial� (Brian Linder). One other idea is that they are the ‘pets’ of extraterrestrial life that were visiting the earth, and they escaped during a UFO crash. Other accounts describe it as a creature combining the features of the vampire bat, kangaroo, and perhaps the armadillo.
Dr. Javier Delgadillo has released a report that addresses the fears of the small towns that have felt the devastation of having whole flocks killed. “‘We have ruled out the theory that the attack on sheep and goats was carried out by a supernatural being or blood-sucking bat,’ said the report, released Thursday to portions of which were published in the Mexico City News. The report speculated that “on explanation for these attacks could be that animals – bats, pumas, dogs, etc. – have been driven mad by the devastating effects of poisonous gases and toxic wastes on nature ‘Perhaps what is happening now with the goatsucker is nature’s way of making us pay for the constant damage we have inflicted on the environment’� (The Washington Times). I find that this does not explain the situation in its full entirety, when many explanations are dogs; this gives the opportunity for it to be dogs that have been altered by toxic wastes, or poisonous gases. This could also be some explanation to those who believe the Chupacabra is the result of genetic testing gone awry. “The Chupacabra material was then turned over to NASA, according to Chilean press accounts. Radio programs in Chile have also accused the American space agency of creating the Chupacabra in a lab in the first place, while conducting genetic tests in the Chilean desert on mandrills, an animal similar to the baboon� (Discovery Communications). Perhaps this explains the body structure of the Chupacabra as well.
There have been many separate sightings of the Chupacabra, and most experts agree on its basic characteristics. “Eyewitness accounts during a series of Puerto Rican attacks in 1995 describer the creature as having a ‘reptilian body, oval head, bulging red eyes, fanged teeth and long, darting tongue’� (Brian Linder). Other documented accounts suggest that “the Chupacabra may have spines down its back. The creature has been said to fly but is more often reported to make long jumps with its heavily muscled hind legs� (CNI News). This is a description that would strike fear into anybody who has actually seen the creature.
Recently, the Chupacabra has started to become a profitable resource, like the Northwest’s Bigfoot, and the East Coast’s Jersey Devil. “Joe Roth’s Revolution Studios will bring the legendary Chupacabra to the big screen.� (FilmForce) This movie has been inspired by stories much like the ones above. It revolves around the idea of the beast unexplainably killing animals by draining their blood from the neck. The production company has hired a writer, so it seems as if this movie might be in theatres in the next few years.
The Chupacabra has been characterized as “‘The single most notable cryptozoological phenomenon of the past decade’ which is ‘on its way to becoming a worldwide sensation like no other unexplained creature since…Bigfoot’� (Loren Coleman). Obviously this creature is starting to come out of the woodwork, much like many famous legends preceding it. Cryptozoology is the study of animals assumed to be extinct, or animals of myth that possibly we have yet to discover. This is why the Chupacabra has been huge in the study of cryptozoology.
Although documented sightings are recent, there has been mention of creatures similar as far back as early Taino folklore. “North American-based Hispanic cryptozoologist Scot Corrales, nevertheless, gathered and investigated Chupacabras reports in a level-headed fassion, despite the media and Internet hysteria. Corrales points out that the modern reports really began in 1974, and Chupacabras folklore dates back to Taino Indian tales of the Maboya� (Cryptozoology A to Z 63). The Maboya is the spirit representing evil in Taino culture. This could link the horrific incidents in Mexico, to horrors created by evil. “Anthropologists say the legend of the mysterious Chupacabras is centuries old, and spans the length of the Andes and Central America. Local believers have blamed all manner of ills on the creature, from losses of livestock to bad fortune� (BBC News). These stories connect, since the Tainos are from the Central American area, and shows consistencies up to that point, but during this age of Internet, everything gets spread much faster, and like in the game of telephone, word of mouth changes and alters the story.
One instance where the story wanders from the beaten path is where there are claims of human attacks. “Just weeks ago, the monster was reported to have been captured in the tiny ejido of Alfonso Calderón, Sinoloa. When a team of government researcher arrived in the remote hamlet, the creature had disappeared, but not before biting a young woman on the arm. It flew away, the villagers said, north toward Arizona� (Tucson Weekly). This sounds to be conjured up probably, mainly because the Chupacabra never had attacked humans, and it did not try to suck her blood from the neck. “…The beast allegedly hopped in an open window and sat on his son� (Tucson Weekly). Another false allegation, from someone looking for attention is my impression. This is also the story my father probably altered to scare me even more, in the article it mentions a stuffed animal being attacked, so to a child, when a stuffed animal could be a best friend, this is a truly terrifying story.
Almost all of the documented stories mention that this is just the beginning. Much of the information cited in this paper demonstrates that. For example, the information of the Chupacabra now is crossing borders, or new animals being attacked, to the belief that it is extraterrestrial. “There’s much hay to be bade in Tucson as well. In a town already full of monsters, the king-hell father of them all has touched down� (Tucson Weekly) “Despite the official verdict about the latest discovery, many are still convinced that the Chupacabras are very much alive and very dangerous� (BBC News) “But then again, no one has found the wild dogs either� (Discovery Communications). This is not just another open and closed legend anymore, many sources stating that this is just the beginning of a new mystery monster. The new stories about the Chupacabra are just more twists on old folktales, twists that we will see more of undoubtedly.
_______________________________________________________
The Official-royal nose-picking, wannabea highschool dropout, Gary Coleman-loving, Arnold-hating, college chick-dating, Montana boonies guy
Member of the 'lets help Sam loose some weight so he can possibly get a girl' Club.
Only Westcoaster in the Eastcoast Cult
