Monsters are Real!

Very recently, National Geographic Channel premiered a new series dealing with the unexplained, titled Paranatural. The first episode featured yours truly in search of the sinister Chupacabra, a blood-sucking creature that has been reported all over Latin America since 1995. Of course, in recent years the name has also been attached to the weird, hairless canids that have been appearing with regularity on ranches around Texas. Apparently, these vampire dogs have been preying on helpless farm animals, allegedly draining the blood out of their victim’s bodies. Despite similarities in predation, the Texas creatures differ greatly from the original Chupacabra, which was first described by residents of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Ricans characterized their monster as standing upright, with enormous, red eyes and a mixture of reptilian and mammalian characteristics. For the National Geographic investigation, we concentrated on the Texas version. I staked out a property near Fayetteville, Texas where many of these macabre canines have been sighted with regularity over the past year. The research team and I employed various gadgets and traps, including thermal imaging, night vision and a tranquilizer rifle, in an attempt to capture one of the beasts alive. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in drawing one of the elusive animals into our hands. There was one surprising development during the filming; a road-killed chupie that had been collected by local landowner Harvey Hayek. After a brief examination, its remains were sent off to scientists at Texas Tech University for analysis. For the results of their findings, tune in to National Geographic Channel and check out Paranatural – Chupacabra!

'Chupacabra' shot near Columbus, Texas - Photo Courtesy of David Vasut ©2005