Check out the latest from The Anomalist:
The Tale of the Chinese Wildman Paranormala. The Yeren is a Bigfoot-type biped believed to inhabit China's southern wilderness regions. Could 2,000 years of Yeren reports all have been mistaken identity? Elsewhere, an Arizona Man Claims to Have Caught the Chupacabra on Video. With video.
Regarding the "Chupacabras on Video" story: having just watched it, I'm not persuaded this is a Chupacabras. To me, it looks more like those hairless whatsits that have been seen, filmed and even shot across Texas in recent years; most of which (all of which, possibly) have been shown to be canine.
Yeah, they look ultra-weird, but are they the same thing that has been running around Puerto Rico for years? Personally, I say "No."
6 comments:
What is it with these dog-like creatures being called 'Chupacabra' ? Goes to show how a so-called monster can change its identity from region to region and interesting as to how such beasts are perceived differently across the world. Makes you wonder if there is really a 'goatsucker' at all, but merely a mystery of many parts.
Neil
I agree. There's definitely a good case for saying that the Chupacabras has become a cultural phenomenon; and that whenever animals are killed nowadays and there's an odd-looking creature roaming the area, stories surface that it must be the Chupa.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean the original isn't real (on Puerto Rico); but the US ones (of the hairless dog type etc) I'm convinced have ZERO to do with the Chupa.
I'm not entirely convinced there was a "real" one here in Puerto Rico; it too was probably a cultural phenomenon. I mean, these days, no one even claims sightings anymore and it's kind of a half-serious joke.
Cullan
I think there's definitely a cultural phenomenon aspect to the Puerto Rican Chupa.
However, on my various expeditons and trips to the island, I did uncover a number of reports of sightings which I considered to be credible.
Interestingly, I also found a number of reports suggesting that the Chupa legend and stories of Chupa attacks on animals had been used as a camouflage for other activities, including (this came from the Civil Defense people) animal sacrifice done by occult groups.
This is based upon my work over the past year and a half living and researching in Puerto Rico. I haven't found anything like what you're describing (cults, etc...), however many Catholics will "spice up" their faith, if you will, with elements of more animistic religions such as Yoruba. Herbal shops called botánicas abound for this very purpose, but I haven't encountered anyone who can speak of sacrifices - well, larger than a chicken or a dove.
Basically, after a year and a half here, I've come up with a lot of evidence for a cultural zeitgeist stemming from pre-existing myths and socio-political circumstance. Perhaps in 1996, more evidence was available but the story itself isn't even tabloid fodder. So, it is amazing to see how this phenomenon is flourishing throughout other Latin American countries. And even spreading into the southern portion of the U.S.
Cullan
There's definitely a cultural zeitgeist angle to all this, and you might want to read "Island of Paradise" by Jon Downes, which digs deeply into that angle; as does his earlier book on the subject - "Only Fools and Goat-Suckers."
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