Woman says she found mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra

[Jamie76 0]

CUERO, Texas – Phylis Canion lived in Africa for four years. She has been a hunter all her life and has the mounted heads of a zebra and other exotic animals in her house to prove it.

But the roadkill she found last month outside her ranch was new even for her, worth putting in a freezer hidden from curious onlookers.

Ms. Canion believes she may have the head of the mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra.

"It is one ugly creature," Ms. Canion said, holding the head of the mammal with big ears, large fangs and grayish-blue, mostly hairless skin.

Ms. Canion and some of her neighbors discovered the 40-pound bodies of three of the animals over four days in July outside her ranch in Cuero, 90 miles southeast of San Antonio.

Ms. Canion said she saved the head of the one she found so she can get to get to the bottom of its ancestry through DNA testing and then mount it for posterity.

She suspects, as have many rural denizens over the years, that the chupacabra may have killed up to 26 of her chickens in the past couple of years.

"I've seen a lot of nasty stuff. I've never seen anything like this," she said.

But what folks are calling a chupacabra is probably just a strange breed of dog, said veterinarian Travis Schaar of the Main Street Animal Hospital in nearby Victoria.

"I'm not going to tell you that's not a chupacabra. I just think in my opinion a chupacabra is a dog," said Mr. Schaar, who has seen Ms. Canion's find.

He said the "chupacabras" could have all been part of a mangy, mutated litter of dogs, or that they may be a new kind of mutt.

What tipped Ms. Canion to the possibility that this was no ugly coyote but perhaps the legendary creature is that the chickens weren't eaten or carried off – all the blood was drained from them, she said.

Chupacabra means "goat sucker" in Spanish, and it is said to have originated in Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Ms. Canion thinks recent heavy rain ran them right out of their dens.

"I think it could have wolf in it," she said. "It has to be a cross between two or three different things."

She said the finding has captured the imagination of locals, just like purported sightings of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.

Mr. Schaar said that as for the bloodsucking, this particular canine may simply have a preference for blood, letting its prey bleed out and licking it up clean.

Chupacabra or not, the discovery has spawned a local and international craze.

Ms. Canion has started selling T-shirts that read: "2007, The Summer of the Chupacabra, Cuero, Texas" accompanied by a caricature of the creature. The $5 shirts have gone all over the world, including Japan, Australia and Brunei. Mr. Schaar said he has one.

"If everyone has a fun time with it, we'll keep doing it," she said. "It's good for Cuero."

The Associated Press

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...ra.3a16abc.html

[Jasman0717 9]

Where's the picture

[Jamie76 0]

Should be on the link...

[Jamie76 0]

Here it is...Looks like a dog to me.

Edited September 3, 2007 by Jamie76

[almaty 19]

i found the legendary wing ding bird..

[kim&james 0]

Hmmm well of course the first thing to do is get the T-shirts printed and out for distribution. I suppose sometime they might want to get it tested by scientists, but I think I will go with the vet.. it is some sort of dog...

[SqdnGuns 21]

Here it is...Looks like a dog to me.

Oh noessss........Scooby Doo!!

[SoL. 0]

Looks like a pig + scooby doo?

Edited September 3, 2007 by SoL.

[Jamie76 0]

Zoinks