RATCLIFFE, Texas – A Texas couple claims they have captured the elusive “Chupacabra,” a mythical creature that supposedly attacks livestock.
Residents in Ratcliffe said they are certain they have found the Chupacabra and this time it’s alive.
Ratcliffe Resident Jackie Stock said her husband caught the creature Sunday night.
“He called me to come and look and I said ‘Bubba that looks like a baby Chupacabra,’” Stock said.
With its hairless back, large claws, countless teeth and ferocious growl, many would say this animal fits the bill.
According to legend, Chupacabras suck the blood of cows and goats.
Although there’s never been real evidence the creature exists, sightings of Chupacabras have been reported from Latin America to the southern U.S.
“I hunted coons for 20 years with dogs and I ain’t ever seen anything that looks like that right there,” Ratcliffe resident Arlen Parma said.
Parma said one of the biggest signs it’s not a raccoon is its growl.
“A coon doesn’t make that noise, or a opossum. What makes that noise? I guess a Chupacabra does,” Parma said.
Most people in the area are convinced this is the elusive Chupacabra but what do wildlife experts have to say?
“The animal in the cage as best I can tell from the view is some sort of a small canine,” Brent Ortego said, Wildlife Diversity Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Ortego said a canine can include a coyote, dog or even a fox.
He said the animal most likely has mange which has caused it to lose its hair.
But as for a Chupacabra, he thinks otherwise.
“It’s never been proven to be a unique species. It was always something out there that allegedly was said to cause harm to people or livestock,” Ortego said.
Chupacabra or not, right now the creature is staying at the Stock household, living off a diet of cat food and corn, at least until someone can find out what it really is.
“We were just trying to figure out what it is because we’ve never seen anything like it before,” Stock said.
Source: CNN/KAVU
