The Origins of Supernatural Beings

Creepy Cryptids- Les Chupacabras

Les Chupacabras

"All I'm saying is once you've been out in the woods and heard the things I've heard; you'd believe in Bigfoot and Chupacabra" -J. Lynn

Le Chupacabra is a relatively new legendary creature, with the first reported sighting occurring in 1995. The concept of Le Chupacabra has captured the collective imaginations of the western public because in the span of a few decades, the legend of Le Chupacabra has grown so infamous it can stand shoulder to shoulder with more established mythic creatures. The cryptid has not been given a consistent description. They have been recounted as resembling lizards, canines, monkeys and even aliens. They are smaller than a man but move much quicker, and they have fangs which they used to kill their prey. Witnesses commonly report that the beast smells wretched, and left an odour in its wake.

Le Chupacabra first became popular in Latin America, with initial sightings taking place in Puerto Rico, but it has since spread northward, developing new fame in southern American states. The name Chupacabra comes from the Spanish "Chupar Cabras", which means "Goat Sucker". Madelyne Tolentino from Canovanas, Puerto Rico, was the first person to report a sighting of the creature that would come to be known as Le Chupacabra when in 1995 she spotted a frightening beast outside her kitchen window. She described it as looking alien-like, and the incident scared her so much she reported it to the authorities. The story travelled quickly, and soon neighbours in the surrounding area began connecting Madelyne Tolentino's story with the mysterious deaths of their livestock. Reportedly, animals had been found dead and completely devoid of blood. Le Chupacabra is said to suck out the blood out of livestock, and reports are often accompanied by the physical evidence of dead and mutilated animals. These incidences were especially distressing to families who subsist off livestock farming. This is important because their grief and panic may have tainted their interpretation of events.

"I'm willing to write a check for $10,000 if someone can bring to me what I feel is ruining thousands of lives, destroying lives everyday. And I know you know it is a little thing called Chupacabra." -Dane Cook

Many theories exist about the origin of the Chupacabra. Some people have the idea that Les Chupacabras are aliens using technology to suck livestock dry for experiments. Others thought they may be a new species that either evolved or was created, and introduced to the region. A few researchers believe that the legend originated from battle tactics used by the American army during the Vietnam war. In the Philippines, there is a legend circulating about the so-called Aswang vampire. The Aswang vampire is an evil shapeshifting creature that sucks blood. The American army drained the blood of soldiers who had been killed and left their bodies to be discovered by enemy troops in hopes that they would blame it on the Aswang vampire. Puerto Rican forests are similar to Vietnamese forests and the American army would practice tactics in the Puerto Rican jungles which may have introduced a variant of the Aswang vampire legend to the area. Fringe researchers also claim that the CIA may have tried to engineer a real Aswang vampire to terrorize the Philippines and brought it to Puerto Rico to test it before it escaped or was released.

The stories from South America started circulating online, where they grew to new heights of fame and began being referenced in pop culture. This is one of the first instances of a modern legendary creature becoming infamous due to online activity. Creepy pastas are a form of storytelling common on the internet. They are called creepy pastas because they are creepy short stories copied and pasted across various social media websites. Creepy pastas are generally user-created and written in the first person. Topics covered in creepy pastas can include paranormal events, conspiracy theories, tales about fictional characters borrowed from other media, stories about fictional characters created by creepy pasta writers, frightening experiences with strangers, and cryptid encounters. Creepy pastas about Le Chupacabra are plentiful alongside fables of other legendary cryptids. Authors and readers can produce their own stories or put their interpretations on a work they have read, and release it in their style, leading to a surplus of Chupacabra encounter accounts available over the internet.

Over time, the descriptions from sightings morphed from creatures resembling aliens to creatures resembling deformed dogs. Evidence was not based on sightings and reports alone and included physical evidence, such as the bodies of alleged Chupacabras. This gave the fable extra credit on the internet, and people who would have otherwise been dismissive starting taking interest in the situation. By this time, reports had been documented in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Panama, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, the United States of America, China, India, Russia and the Philippines. The internet had allowed the stories of Chupacabra to travel all over the world, and people living in countries far away from Puerto Rico where the original report was filed started sharing their stories.

The biggest pieces of evidence being found to support these claims are the grotesque bodies of supposed Chupacabras being discovered and sent to laboratories. The results from these tests discovered Chupacabras were not aliens or a new species, but instead coyotes, dogs and raccoons suffering from sarcoptic mange. Sarcoptic mange causes animals to lose their fur and smell awful. These sick animals probably started attacking livestock because they were too ill to go after faster and larger wild prey. As for the claims the bodies of cattle, poultry, swine, sheep and goats had all their blood sucked out... a veterinarian analyzed over 300 carcasses from the victims of supposed Chupacabras and concluded none of them had been bled completely dry. The bite marks found on the bodies were consistent with canines.

Ever since Le Chupacabra came to popularity, it has been featured in a multitude of media; books including "Don't Eat Me Chupacabra" written by Kyle Sullivan in 2018, "The Night of the Chupacabra" authored by Michael Hebler in 2012, "The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra" written by Marc Tyler Nobleman in 2017, and "Chupacabra" authored by Roland Smith in 2013; and movies like "Chupacabra: Dark Seas" directed by John Shepphird in 2005, "Guns of El Chupacabra" directed by Donald G. Jackson in 1997 and "Chupacabra Territory" directed by Matt McWilliams in 2016. Many more Chupacabra creepy pastas are available over social media platforms.

"All of my Chupacabra books are like novelizations of movies that haven't been made yet."
― Raegan Butcher

In recent years, Le Chupacabra has lost its mystique because scientists and veterinarians have exposed the truth behind the legend. It would be hard to make a convincingly terrifying film based off a sickly canine with a serious skin condition. Audiences would likely sympathize with the creature more than they would fear it. Either creators would have to ignore recent developments in the scientific exploration of Chupacabra reports, or they would have to adapt the idea beyond the bounds of the original fable. Regardless, Chupacabra media is still being produced, and only the future can tell what new concepts this genre has to offer.