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It is not surprising that people (then and now) that depend on their livestock for their survival could be both fearful and antagonistic towards wild beasts. Myths and legends from long ago are littered with tales of strange creatures – some may even still turn out to be true. (Just think about the folklore surrounding dragons.)
In particular there are stories and references to strange attacks on animals that date back decades. One of particular importance to this review is the spate of recorded and similar attacks in and around the Puerto Rican town of Moca on the western side of the Island in 1975. These were blamed on The Vampire of Moca, (El Vampiro).
During the period between1992 and 1995 a spate of attacks on animals occurred around the Eastern half of the island. So frequent were these incidents that Puerto Rican newspapers El Vocero and El Nuevo Dia regularly began to report the killings but as yet no single creature was suggested as the culprit. (It is worth noting that both these newspapers had a reputation, at this time, for focusing on the sensational.) It is fair to say that even from the start there was scepticism amongst the more educated levels of Puerto Rican society who attributed the killings to stray dogs which were a serious problem at that time.
The “original” Chupacabra of popular and more recent reporting is a mysterious creature that is described as being about 3ft (36 inches) tall and has aspects of its appearance that are distinctly reptilian such as flaking scales and short spines protruding at intervals along the length of its backbone. However, its skin is said to be leathery and mottled purple and black. The hind quarters of animal somewhat resemble those of a kangaroo and people that have reported seeing it claim that it can leap fair distances. Facially it has the snout of a canine predator but with a huge mouth equipped with two distinctive “sabre” teeth. Its eyes are said to glow orange or red. Some reports add that it has a forked tongue and will make hissing and screeching sounds. Its scent, which is apparently strong, is fetid and faecal in nature (not sulphuric as is often reported). Reports claim that it is also capable of walking on its hind legs.
The name Chupacabra is literally the combination of the Spanish words Chupar and Cabra or in English: Suck and Goat and originates from the way this beast allegedly attacks, kills and drains the blood from animals and livestock.
Although the creature (or creatures) now called Chupacabra may have existed for millennia, they came into mainstream awareness after a series of peculiar attacks on livestock in several Puerto Rican towns and especially in, and around, Canóvanas during the months leading up to October 1995.
It is during this period that inhabitants of the local villages started calling it the “Goat Sucker” based on the belief that many of the animals killed were goats and were seemingly drained of blood. |
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This is the most famous of the Chupacabra pictures. It was probably the first and it really is a pity that it's a fake! Let's use a standard FBI digital image analysis test ... |
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Once processed through an equalizer and an inverter the unmistakable signs of Photoshop pixelation become clear. In particular, the red smudge on the cheek is a real giveaway! |
It was apparently during August of 1995 that a major attack occurred in Canóvanas itself and resulted in the death of approximately 150 animals.
It is believed that the first description of the creature was provided by Michael Negron, 25, who discovered an agile, erect, two-legged creature hopping animatedly in the dirt outside his house.
"It (the Chupacabra) was about three or four feet tall, with skin like that of a dinosaur," he said. "It had eyes the size of hens' eggs, long fangs, and multicoloured spikes down its head and back. (Please keep in mind that eye-witness accounts often tend to be exaggerated to emphasise the importance of the event. Law enforcement officials are very familiar with this phenomenon.)
New Information: It is worth noting that the town of Canóvanas is only 5.5 miles from the border of the El Yunque National Forest of Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rainforest of the USA and is 28,000 acres in size. The majority of the very first official Chupacabra sightings and animal attacks were located near to this “preserve.
The first executive search for the Chupacabra was organised on the 29th of October 1995 by the Mayor of Canóvanas, Jose “Chemo” Soto, and repeated at regular intervals.
Chupacabra story - The Daily Courier of Yavapi County, Arizona - November 1995 |
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As the animal attacks continued the story started to become more important to the media and the Daily Courier of Yavapi County, Arizona, ran a story on the 21st of November 1995 entitled:
Goatsucker: Puerto Rican Vampire – Animal Deaths Remain Mystery.
0n the 8th of January 1996 APTV ran a detailed story including video interviews and pictures of the tracks left by the creature. A description of the injuries differs from many of those described elsewhere on the internet. However, this is clearly one of the original sources. Title: Puerto Rico: Mysterious Creature Terrorizes Countryside. Summary: Story No: 20630Date: 1/8/1996 5:00:00 AM Source: APTV. A quote from the article reads: |
“Eyewitnesses accounts differ as to what the creature looks like, but they all agree that it attacks at night, bites its victims in the throat and sucks them dry. Local veterinarians say in each of the cases studied the cause of death were two deep puncture wounds under the right side of the neck. The wounds were about the diameter of a drinking straw and three to four inches in length. Experts say the wounds are not compatible with the bite of a dog, a monkey or any other carnivore. Police are taking the reports very seriously because of the great number of sheep and cattle lost, but they say they have no idea what kind of creature is responsible. Some witnesses claim there's more than one roaming around the island. They say they resemble some type of ape.
From a sound-bite originally in Spanish: “They are two big animals, as big as a man. I saw them from afar, they looked like big apes, like a Mandrill but I couldn't distinguish their features."
The full video report is available at: http://www.aparchive.com. Search for the story number.
By the 24th of January 1996 the Chupacabra was a big enough story to make it into the mainstream media and in particular the “Inter Press Service English News Wire” which ran the story: Puerto Rico: Vampire Monkeys Seize the Spotlight.
A quote from the article reads: “Seemingly from out of nowhere, a new figure has erupted in Puerto Rico's national mythology -- the ‘Chupacabra,’ a vicious monkey that can run upright on its legs, slaughter goats and suck the blood from its prey."
Radio stations and other media in Puerto Rico had already been reporting the attacks but as the various news announcers started referring to the creature as the Chupacabra the story could focus on a single name that people could relate to. The result was the spread of low-grade mass hysteria and soon any kind of attack on any animal was the work of the Chupacabra! This phenomenon is common and well recorded.
For example, in the early 1990’s a South African schoolgirl claimed she had seen a mythical Pinky-Pinky (Panky) in the school’s toilets and the story was picked up by a local newspaper (The Star – published by Independent News and Media). Panic gripped the mainly African students and suddenly “Pinky-Pinky” was being seen by across the country. Schools were shut and searched. (We’ll explain more about Pinky Pinky and other unpleasant creatures based on Fear in Africa in our next pages. You heard about them here first!)
By May 1996 reports of strange animal attacks were being reported on the mainland of America. CNN ran a story entitled: Monster (the chupacabra) accused of killing farm animals in Florida.
“Ever since the death of more than two dozen goats, chickens, and geese last week, residents (mainly Hispanic) of the Miami suburb of Sweetwater have whispered the name of what they say is the killer ... Chupacabra.“
Since this time there have been literally hundreds of reports relating to the Chupacabra from Arizona (USA) to Bolivia. In almost all of these cases the actual wounds inflicted do not match the original findings of the Puerto Rican veterinarians. Again, news reports about the events were often written before the scientists had a chance to examine the bodies. (Headlines such as: “Dog Attacks Chickens” is unlikely to sell many newspapers. However, “Chupacabra Massacre in Stupidville” probably will. The Wikipedia article on this subject is one of the best but even it clearly uses sources that are just repeating each other.
Naturally, and unfortunately, every self proclaimed paranormal expert seems to have jumped onto the Chupacabra bandwagon and added their own exaggerations. Some claim it’s an alien – probably inspired by the 1987 film “Predator” about a somewhat similar creature living in the central South American jungles. Some claim it’s a living dinosaur. Others even claim it’s a giant mutant vampire bat.
There have even been claims by people that they have filmed, captured or killed a Chupacabra (Even kept its head in the freezer.) Again, to the best of our knowledge, these claims have turned out to be false. The most recent “sensationalist” reports relating to the Chupacabra originate from the town of Cuero in Texas (USA). However, yet again, the attacks have almost no resemblance to the original Puerto Rican events when scientifically scrutinised and it is now widely believed that the animals captured are coyotes suffering from a “mange-related disease” that seems to be prevalent in the area.
Seriously, the Chupacabra isn't breeding by the thousand - It's just hysteria. There were probably only ever one or two of these creatures.
The Chupacabra has been so thoroughly adopted by all forms of media that the true mystery has been lost. It has featured in thousands of online articles (often copying each other without any serious research), in films, TV programmes and the printed media from books to magazines. However, very few of these actually investigate the Puerto Rican events that took place between 1992 and 1997.
SOME KEY OBSERVATIONS: |
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Is this the Chupacabra picture you were never meant to see or just another photoshop special? Anyway ... we went to a lot of trouble to get this picture so please do not copy and paste it all over the internet! |
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We’re not saying there isn’t a mystery – there is! The real Chupacabra mystery is: “What caused the spate of attacks on animals that occurred on the Island of Puerto Rico between 1992 and 1997? (The chupacabra?)
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If all the attacks “attributed” to the Chupacabra are real then a few calculations on the back of an old envelope clearly show that there must be at least 1,800 of these creatures spread out over an area the size of North America. (It all has to do with sustainable breeding populations). There are less than 5,000 tigers left in the wild –CATT – and they’re classed as an endangered species. Seriously – the numbers just don’t make sense.
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If the Chupacabra has really spread across such a wide geographic region then it is one of the world’s most environmentally adaptable creatures. Clearly it’s comfortable in very arid dessert climates and tropical rain forests. Not even the incredibly dangerous Asian Tiger Mosquito has managed that yet.
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Most of the “so called” Chupacabra attacks do not display the same wounds that were seen in Puerto Rico between 1992 and 1997. Really, we’ve spent weeks reading old newspapers and checking this out.
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Many early reports about the Chupacabra make reference to monkeys, apes and vampires.
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Vampire myths and legends were brought to the Island by the Spanish and have often become distorted to fit the environment. (Is this where the name Chupacabra came from?)
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Voodoo, as a belief, has at times been a strong influence on Puerto Rican subculture. The book “Run Baby Run” (1968) was based on the life of Nicky Cruz a boy who came from Puerto Rico and joined the Mau Mau gang of New York. There are several references to the Voodoo practices of his family and the strong underlying culture of superstition and belief in the paranormal that is prevalent on part s of the Island.
THE AQUIZIAM ASSESSMENT
Is it possible that the Chupacabra really exists? Actually, it is! However, this Chupacabra is not the creature that seems to pop up everywhere that there is an animal-related attack that can’t be explained in five minutes. We’ll explain more a little later.
Is it possible that a cryptid creature, the Chupacabra, exists and attacks animals, drains their blood, looks like a demon and is now prowling a geographic area the size of the USA? Well, it is possible but very, very unlikely.
We admit that we’ve never explored the more remote regions of Puerto Rico. We have never seen a Chupacabra. We can’t prove that aliens exist or, for that matter, don’t exist. We’ve done plenty of “dangerous and stupid” things in strange places that we won’t write about here but hunting the Chupacabra is not one of them. (Give us time!) Still, one thing we do promise you is this; we have done a lot of real research.
This is where we present our "Chupacabra" theory. It’s as good as any and may be completely wrong. That’s the difference between us and other websites. We don’t believe that we have a Divine right to be ... uh, right!
A NEW THEORY
So what’s a theory? It’s an idea, based on real information that has yet to be proved or disproved. This is ours.
Earlier in this webpage you will have seen a number of images that have the caption – “The Chupacabra?” Actually most of these pictures are based on the Mandrill Monkey. (Some of them have been slightly photoshopped to confuse you.) Very early reports describe the Chupacabra as “looking like a “Mandrill” or “ape” so we went and studied these ape-like monkeys. Surprise, Surprise – they really do match the original descriptions of the Chupacabra (Goat Sucker). They are 3ft tall, they do occasionally walk on their hind legs, they can certainly leap impressive distances when frightened, they do have large “vampire-like” canines and they do attack and eat small mammals when they can’t get other food such as fruit. Let’s carry on ... they do have red eyes in the dark which, in the males, are emphasised by their red nostrils and cheek pads, they do have strong hind quarters which might, with a little imagination, be called kangaroo-like and they do use their canines to puncture their prey.
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The Mandrill's Fangs!
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The tropical vegetation of
El Yunque National Forest |
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The thoughtful Mandrill!
Peaceful but dangerous. |
So far so good but there is more ... the Mandrill’s (Chupacabra's) natural habitat is the rainforest, (Think: El Yunque National Forest), they can live for up to 45 years and their very name means man-ape. There’s even more ... they tend to walk on their fingers, not their palms, which leaves an unusual three toed impression in the soil and when diseased with mange, their fur often falls out revealing a scaly mottled purple black skin underneath and an uneven ridge of hair along their backbones. They are agile, have great control of their hands, can easily climb fences and pens, have good night vision and are very smart (Almost as smart as Chimps). Oh yes ... they are also dog-like in appearance, often smell bad and almost never attack humans.
The problem is that Mandrills are from Africa (Nigeria) and are certainly not native to Puerto Rico. Fortunately, that problem is easily explained. Ships travelling from Nigeria and other equatorial African countries have regularly made port at San Juan, Puerto Rico while on their way to the USA. Many of these ships would have been bringing in animals for testing purposes in the various laboratories of the USA. (The Hot Zone: Richard Preston 1994). These animals did include: macaques, Columbus monkeys, Vervet’s, Chimpanzees, Bonobos, Baboons, Drills and – surprise, surprise – Mandrills. If these creatures appeared ill or diseased then it is very likely that they would have been thrown overboard in San Juan (maybe still alive) before the ship docked in a mainland American port.
Could one of the original eyewitnesses been correct? Could it have been an escaped Mandrill (or Mandrills) diseased from the voyage, slightly mad, just trying to survive in a hostile and unfamiliar environment? Yes it could. Do we believe that this is what happened? Perhaps we do! Rather ... we do believe that the original Chupacabra was some form of monkey or ape with exceptionally strong canines. There are a few that fit this category. It certainly makes more sense than alien experiments and Hell Beasts that have never been captured.
Still, this is an incredible world where stranger things have happened. Perhaps there really is a hidden group of creatures living in the shadows on the edge of human society. One thing we are sure about - many of the the so called chupacabra attacks are the work of other creatures.
Perhaps only time will tell.
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