Scary urban legends

ℂ𝕙𝕦𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕒

It was only 1995 when the first chupacabra stories started making headlines.

Chupacabra means "goat sucker," and for good reason. Real people were losing real livestock. Farmers reported finding their animals drained of their blood with two holes in their necks. Thousands of them were dying.

It started in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. The threat to residents' livelihoods was so serious that the town's mayor went on a "safari" to hunt down the beast that was responsible.

He didn't find anything, but locals would see the monster from time to time. They described it as an alien-like reptilian, sometimes with spines along its back.

USA

In the States, chupacabras look a bit different. Instead of an alien or reptile, Americans usually report something that looks like a freaky hairless dog.

Like Puerto Rican cousins, when they show up, your goats (and other livestock) are goners. They aren't always sucked dry, though.

Pictures of dead chupacabras from the U.S. have been identified as coyotes with mange.

In fact, mangy coyotes are weaker and more likely to attack livestock rather than prey that requires more chasing. So this one might have an easy explanation.

When I was taking Spanish my teacher made us learn about this and let's just say I was more Intreagued than I was supposed to be 😅