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In nineteen ninety five, an unsuspecting town in Puerto Rico
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finds a large swath of pets, livestock, and other animals dead.
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But what's even more strange is the reports that they've
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been completely drained of blood. While this cryptid is newer
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than Bigfoot or the Lockness Monster, it is captured imaginations
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the world over.
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What you were about to beat, you, burn you, Based
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on witness accounts, testimonies, and public record, this is terrifying
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and treat.
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The Chupacabra is something that I've always been really interested in,
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not just because it's a crypto that really came into
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consciousness of the public in nineteen ninety five, which is
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much later than those were more familiar with, like the
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Luckness Monster, Sasquatch, even the Grassman, things like that. But
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what always fascinated me even more was how the chupacabra
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seemed to be able to cross the ocean into Mexico
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and into the United States of America and its mainland.
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So tonight we're going to take a very special, very
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deep down into the history of the chupacabra in the
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United States of America, which, if you're like me, is
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awfully close to home. We're telling that story after this.
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Most cryptids have been in the public consciousness for countless generations,
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some starting out as cautionary tales to prevent children from
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wandering off at night, or warnings to dissuade hungry citizens
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from turning to cannibalism when food is scarce. Many of
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these legends appear to have no logical starting point or explanation,
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just sightings dating back as far as documentation has existed.
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Vampiric creatures like ab Chanchu, the Bolivian shape shifter, the
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Democratic Republic of Congo's half human half lobster, the Mamba mutu,
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or the Mannananagol with its bat like wings from the
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Philippines have storied histories. The cryptid presented for discussion today,
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the Chupakarra, is not one of these beasts of ancient folklore.
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While some claim that stories of the creature have been
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part of latinumyera culture for as long as that culture
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has existed, there is no evidence to support that. In fact,
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we can point to specific dates and locations where the
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first sightings occurred and the legend began. It wasn't in
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some mysterious place in the reaches of the far gone past.
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It was in a very real town less than fifty
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years ago. The chupacabra grew up in the Internet era.
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Encounters and images of the beast have been spread widely
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on news sites, message boards, and eventually social media, and
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there have certainly been a lot of sightings. The creature
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has appeared everywhere, from late night deserted roadsides to mid
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day romps through the golf courses of suburbia. Countless new
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images of the enigma are snapped by cell phones every year,
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prompting a frenzy of discussion over what remains unknown in
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our everyday environment. What can we glean about the chupacapra
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from all this evidence? What has been done to understand
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the creature and its place in our ecosystem? The answers
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may give you faith in humanity or make you question everything.
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In nineteen seventy five, the town of Mocha in Puerto
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Rico was rocked by a series of strange livestock deaths.
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In February fifteen, cows, two geese, three goats, and a
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pig were killed in a way that worried the town.
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All were found dead with strange perforations on their hides
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and had been drained completely of blood. Newspapers called the
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mysterious attacker El vampiro de Mocha, which translates to the
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Mocha vampire. This was only the first of many attacks
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attributed to El Vampiro Mocha. In March, farmer Cecilio Hernandez
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awoke to find thirty four of his chickens had been
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killed during the night. At this point, at least ninety
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animals had been slain. These attacks seemed to defy explanation,
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and Mocha was left in a state of panic. Some
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believed they were dealing with a monster, possibly a large
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vampire bat, or a strange and unknown bird. Resident Maria
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Assevedo claimed to have seen the bird of unknown origin
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pecking at her windows and wrapping at the metal roof
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of her home. It then issued a chilling cry and
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flew off into the night. At the time, the prevailing theory, however,
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was that it was the work of a Satanic cult.
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This fits perfectly with the general moral panic around Satanism
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and Satanic cults that was endemic to the United States
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at that time. The idea that an unknown animal may
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be responsible for these strange, untimely deaths slowly faded from
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public memory as the attacks tapered off. It wasn't until
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nineteen ninety five, twenty years later, when eight sheep were
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killed in a similar mysterious fashion, that this fear resurfaced.
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They had again been completely drained of blood, each with
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three puncture wounds on their chests. The term chupacabra, which
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translates literally to goat sucker, was coined relatively early on
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by Silvero Perez, a radio DJ in San Juan, while
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discussing the attacks on air. It was a perfectly fitting
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name for the beast and one that would stand the
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test of time. He may have been inspired for the
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name by the small species of bird called chotocabra, which
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is commonly known as the night jar in English. Chotocabra
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also translates to goat sucker, just using the antiquated form
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of the verb to suck cho tar instead of the
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now common chupar. Night jars were known to suck on
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goat's teats for milk, not their blood, but the name
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works either way. Later that year, a reported one hundred
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and fifty farm animals and pets were killed in the
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town of Canavanas eyewitness Madeline Tolentino believed she had seen
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the creature responsible one afternoon. It paused briefly on the
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sidewalk outside of her home, and she was able to
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get a good look at it. She described it as
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three to four feet tall, a grayish green reptile like
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creature with large black eyes but no visible nose or ears.
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It stood upright, had three fingered hands and feet with claws,
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spines running down its back, and it hopped like a kangaroo. Quote.
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I told my mother I saw the devil, Madeleine told
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the Washington Post. At least fifteen other residents of the
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town claimed to have seen the monster as well. Missael Negron,
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a local college student, described his encounter with the animal
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that killed and disemboweled his family's goat to the Washington Post. Quote,
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I was looking off the balcony one night and I
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saw it step out of a bright light in the backyard.
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He said.
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It was about three or four feet tall, with skin
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like that of a dinosaur. It had bright red eyes
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the size of hen's eggs, long fangs, and multi colored
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spikes down on its head and back. Kenovanas was in
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the middle of a crisis. The mayor's office was flooded
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with phone calls from concerned citizens. Quote, we're looking for it.
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Canavanas's mayor, Jose Soto, who was up for re election,
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explained to the Austin American Statesman, quote, I haven't seen
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it yet, but I know people who saw it. It
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attacks so fast, everything from horses to sheep. It sucks
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out the blood completely. Mayor Soto even organized and participated
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in a weekly hunt for the beast in the foothills
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of the Caribbean National Forest near town. The first search
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had over two hundred volunteers readying their firearms to take
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down the creature. They even attempted to lure it out
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with a caged goat. Quote. Whatever it is, it's highly intelligent.
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Today it is attacking animals. Tomorrow it may attack people,
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Sodo warned. No evidence of the monster was ever found
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during these hunts, but Jose Sodo did manage to win
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his campaign for reelection. In total, approximately two hundred sightings
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of the chupacara were reported in Puerto Rico in just
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nineteen ninety five alone. Talk shows in fringe media covered
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it extensively. Puerto Rico's premier uithologist, Jorge Martin, wrote several
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articles about the events in his magazine Evidencia Ovini. He
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feared that the cryptid was extraterrestrial in origin and had
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been drawn specifically to Puerto Rico by the Aricibo Observatory,
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which housed the largest radio radar telescope in the world
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at the time. Jorge also described an increase in UFO
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site in Puerto Rico during this period. This included one
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that hovered over the antenna for the Radio Proser radio
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station in Barraquitas. Eyewitnesses said it was shaped like a
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disc with a row of black windows in the center
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and shone brightly in the darkness. At the moment of
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its appearance, the equipment in the station began to act erratically.
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This included the powering on of some devices that were
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no longer used and weren't even plugged in. Some of
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the sightings even corresponded with chupacabra attacks in the towns
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of Canavanas, Cabo, Rojo, Narrijito and Ponse. A family in
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Barrio Hato observed a UFO shortly before a number of
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goats and a horse were found mutilated Jorge also spoke
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with a veterinarian, Carlos Soto, who determined that the bites
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on the slaughter animals were very deep and penetrated the brain,
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causing instant death. He postulated that this method of killing
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done in a way that the animal would suffer the least,
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meant that the attacker had great intelligence and could not
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be the work of a simple wild animal. Many other
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theories about the chupacabra's existence circulated during this time. This
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included everything from the attacks being caused by wild local animals,
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to the work of an escaped, genetically engineered mutant from
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a research facility, or even an alien pet left on earth. Accidentally,
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news of the chupacabra did not stay contained to Puerto Rico,
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and it wasn't long before similar animal deaths and sightings
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of the creature reached the mainland. Whether they were legitimate
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discoveries of a blood sucking predator expanding its range or
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panicked mistaken identity of common animals, areas of the southern
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United States and many countries in South and Central America
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were now in the fray. Sightings have persisted and expanded
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to this very day. In the United States. Spanish speaking
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communities who often consumed Puerto Rican news sources or had
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family or friends on the island were the first to
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report sightings. The Puerto Rican tabloid El Vosserro covered the
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creature extensively, and the Miami based talk show Christina devoted
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an entire episode to the monster, with guests including Mayor
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Soto and eufologist Torge Martin. Both of these media outlets
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are often credited with stoking the panic that ensued. Quote.
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I used to laugh every time someone mentioned the chewpacabras,
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but after doing the show and listening to many serious,
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credible people, I have to tell you, I don't think
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it's a normal animal at all, the host of Christina,
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Christina Sarreligue, explained to the Boston Globe. Florida, specifically Miami
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Dade County, was one of the first states to experience
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the chaos of chupacabra sightings. What happened in Miami during
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the following year is now referred to as the nineteen
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ninety six Chupacabra hysteria. In early nineteen ninety six, sixty
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nine animals, including chickens, geese, goats, and ducks owned by
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two neighboring properties in Sweetwater were slaughtered in a similar
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fashion to those in Puerto Rico. While authorities were confident
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that a large dog had been the cause, that community
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was in a very real state of panic as other
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sightings poured in from the surrounding area. In an attempt
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to quell the fear, the Metro Dade Police Department employed
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Alan Herron, a University of Miami professor of pathology, to
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perform a televised necropsy on a goat that had been
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killed in a chupacabra attack. He was able to prove
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that the animal had been killed by a dog and
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was not, in fact drained of blood. The public, however,
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was not swayed by this, and different media outlets were
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adding more fire to the flames. Local pop radio station
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Y one hundred point seven even ran a contest offering
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one thousand dollars to anyone who could get a picture
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of the cryptid quote they were just totally not listening.
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Ron McGill, zoologist and assistant curator at the Metro Dade
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Zoo who had been involved in the Sweetwater case, to
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old the Saint Petersburg Times it's mushroomed way out of proportion.
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I'm sitting here literally in shock. While the chupacabra was
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terrorizing Miami, strange things were also happening in Texas. In
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the Rio Grande Valley, Sylvia Ibarra found her six year
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old goat dead in her yard with puncture wounds on
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its neck. While a neck cropsy determined that the goat's
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demise was very likely caused by an infection from the
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puncture wounds, which looked to be the result of a
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dog bite. Fear of this monster had already been stoked
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across the valley. I'm scared, said Sylvia's mother. I have
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a lot of grandchildren around here. We've always had a
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lot of animals, and we never had this happen before.
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When asked about the chupacabra, Sylvia said, I think it's
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watching over us. It might happen again. We never know
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when it's going to come back. Later that year, reports
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of chupacabra attacks on livestock and humans flooded Poway, California,
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a small town near the Mexican border. Witnesses reported a
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gargoyle like creature with bat wings, large claws, and fangs.
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It was said to be nocturnal and very aggressive. The
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media went out of their way to cover the story,
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but Powe City officials appeared to completely discount the reported attacks.
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While the intense panic and press surrounding the chupacabra dissipated
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after nineteen ninety six, the reports didn't stop, and the
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locations in which they were reported expanded. A resident of Palan, California,
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who preferred to remain anonymous, relayed their encounters to beyond
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the Boundary's UFO Research organization. They had started to get
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concerned when the coyotes and rabbits they were used to
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seeing so frequently around their property virtually disappeared. One day
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after this realization, they were startled by an eruption of
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panicked squealing from their pig outside. Not seeing anything, after
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taking a quick look out the window, they grabbed a sword,
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which they typically used for a hobby in doing reenactments,
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and went out to take a better look. As they
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caught sight of the pig, it was clear something very
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odd was occurring. A dark, gray, bipedal creature was trying
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to attack it. When the thing realized it had company,
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it stopped what it was doing and looked at them
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with its giant black almond shaped eyes, had large claws
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and porcupine like quills covering its back. It then, without
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much effort, tore apart the chain link fence surrounding the
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pig pen. At this point, the witness's dogs bolted from
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the house and charged the creature. It ran, leaping the
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three foot fence around the property and disappearing into the vegetation.
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The dogs appeared to be too scared to chase it
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any further. This wasn't the only time this witness saw
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the cryptid around their property. One night, after they had
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given the pig some leftover beer from a party, it
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appeared again. It approached the pen ready to attack, but
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then suddenly took off without hurting the animal. They theorized
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that it was deterred by the smell of alcohol, and
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started giving the pig beer nightly to protect it. This
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appeared to work. The unknown animal also seemed to be
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afraid to cross salt lines. The witness put down rock
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salt one winter to melt some ice that had accumulated,
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and later found tracks of the creature around the property,
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but only outside of the salted areas. After this, they
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began to use rock salt to create a barrier around
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their property. The creature would come and stand outside the perimeter,
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but never crossed onto the property again. In nineteen ninety nine,
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Chris Pico was camping on his friend Ray's property in Texas.
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He'd been aware that Ray had been acting strange all evening.
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Ray eventually told his friends about the eerie discovery he'd
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made just slightly up the road. One evening, Ray stopped
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at the side of that very road to relieve himself
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on his way home. Off to his right, he noticed
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a dead deer. Then he experienced a disconcerting sensation like
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he was being drawn to the deer. He felt like
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he needed to take a look. When he reached it,
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he realized it was not roadkill like he'd been expecting. No,
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it had been killed by a predator, he thought, as
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he discovered the three puncture wounds in its neck. But strangely,
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there was no blood or signs of a struggle, almost
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as if the deer had been killed effortlessly and in
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an instant. Chris and the others in the group didn't
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take their friend's story very seriously. It wasn't until later
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that night, when another member of the group shook Chris awake,
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claiming he'd heard something that they started to change their minds.
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At first, Chris assumed his friend was just trying to
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scare him and tried to go back to sleep, but
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they were suddenly hit with the intense odor of rotting flesh.
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The friends decided to leave the tent to investigate the
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night air outside was impossibly silent, bereft of the cricket
285
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chirps and croaking frogs that they were used to. The
286
00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:41.279
air hung dead still as they scanned the area for
287
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the source of the smell. A sudden screech rang through
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the camp. Then from behind a rock emerged a small, tailless,
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light green monkey like creature. It stared at them with
290
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its large eyes and bared its sharp teeth, but then,
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instead of attacking, simply ran off. Ray tried to search
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for it, but it had completely vanished. Shocked by what
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they had seen, the group decided to sleep inside, not
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even sticking around long enough to clean up their campsite.
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When they returned to the area to collect their belongings
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the next morning, the site was in a state of disarray.
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Their items had been scattered around, and the tent had
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been totally shredded. The experience was enough to prevent Chris
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and his friends from ever camping in the area again.
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One state where chupacabra sightings have never been common is Louisiana.
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This is likely because another bloodsucking, livestock murdering cryptid has
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taken up residence in their bayous, a creature known as
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the Grunch. The Grunch, also known as the Grunch road Monster,
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is a three to four foot tall goat like creature
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with glowing eyes and gray, scaly reptilian skin. Like the chupacabra,
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it is said to have spines or quills on its
307
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back and drains the blood of the animals it attacks.
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But this monster doesn't just kill livestock. It also attacks people.
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As the story goes, the Grunch will often leave an
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injured animal, usually a goat, on the side of the
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road and wait. When the eventual concerned passerby would stop
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to help the animal, the Grunch would attack, kidnapping, killing,
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and then drinking the blood of the unfortunate Good Samaritan.
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The legend of the Grunch appears to date back to
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at least the eighteen hundreds and has multiple origin stories.
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One of the most common tells of a group of
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individuals with dwarfism and albinism who at the time were
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shunned from society in Louisiana. Unable to interact and live
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with the rest of the city of New Orleans, they
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were forced to live at the end of an isolated,
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unpaved road at the edge of town called Grunch Road.
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Over generations of seclusion, the small group became inbred and
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eventually horribly disfigured and hostile. They had also developed a
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taste for blood. The group began to hunt anyone and
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anything that had the misfortune of stepping foot on Grunch Road.
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Another tale ties the creatures to the famous Voodoo high
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priestess of New Orleans, Marie Leveaux. It was said that
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when she castrated the so called devil Baby, who was
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00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:16.200
likely just a child with a genetic skin disorder to
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prevent it from ever reproducing, the baby's testicles became a
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male and female grunch They then attacked Leveaux, almost killing her,
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and fled along with the Devil Baby. All that being said,
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the aforementioned Grunch Road does not currently exist within the
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city limits of New Orleans. Some believe it was just
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renamed and can still be found in the Little Woods
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neighborhood only now as Gannon Road. Regardless of its location.
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Unlike the chupacabra, there are very few eye witness accounts
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of sightings of this creature. However, after Hurricane Katrina ravaged
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that area in two thousand and five, there was an
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uptick in sightings. This was especially true in Harvey, Louisiana,
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where residents said they saw the grunch chasing cats and
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knocking over trash cans. Sanitation workers in Harvey reported that
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their trucks had been chased by the creature. One woman
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even said she saw it eating her neighbour's dog. Many
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00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:41.680
have theorized that the reason for these sightings was that
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the creature had been displaced from its natural habitat temporarily
347
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due to the flooding. It is also equally as possible, though,
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that injured animals, which may also have been displaced from
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their natural homes, were being misidentified. Strangely, besides second hand
350
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tales of these accounts, no pictures or news stories of
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the encounters exist from that time. Considering the abundance of
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highly public chupacabra sightings, This makes the grunch's existence seem suspect.
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It's also possible, given the creature's penchant for kidnapping and killing,
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that most people who encounter a grunch do not live
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to tell the tale. In the early two thousands, the
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chupacabra went through something of a makeover. Witnesses no longer
357
00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:51.160
reported seeing a gray alien reptile creature with a spiny back,
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but something more akin to a hairless canine with a
359
00:28:57.039 --> 00:29:04.920
very pronounced spine, with large teeth and claws. Its modus operendi, however,
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00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:13.200
remained the same, killing livestock and sucking them dry of blood.
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In two thousand and six, a strange creature was hit
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by a car while chasing a cat across Route four
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in Turner, Maine. Local residents were puzzled by its appearance.
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It didn't look like any animal they were familiar with. Quote.
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It was charcoal gray, weighed between forty and fifty pounds
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and had a bushy tail, a short snout, short ears,
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and curled fangs hanging over its lips, recounted Mike O'Donnell
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of Turner, Maine to The Sun Journal of Lewistown. Quote,
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this is something I've never seen before. It's an evil
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00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:05.799
looking thing. Michelle O'Donnell, who was married to Mike, took
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a few pictures of the dead animal and claimed to
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have seen it in her backyard a week prior. Quote,
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it was evil, evil looking, and it had a horrible stench.
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I will never forget. We locked eyes for a few
375
00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:26.920
seconds and then it took off. I've lived in Maine
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my whole life, and I've never seen anything like it,
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she explained. Michelle believed it was a hybrid mutant of something.
378
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Since nineteen ninety one, predating the first wave of publicized
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00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:50.000
chupacabra sightings, the communities within Androscoggin County, Maine, have been
380
00:30:50.200 --> 00:30:55.720
terrorized by an unknown animal, with many reporting strange cries
381
00:30:56.240 --> 00:31:02.240
and mysterious eyeshine emanating from the surrounding woods. The creature
382
00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:05.119
had also been blamed for the death of a Rottweiler
383
00:31:05.720 --> 00:31:10.559
and the mauling of a Doberman pincher. Quote. We've been
384
00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:15.039
hearing stories about this thing for years, about this thing
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00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:20.559
that's been attacking, shredding and eating other animals. This is
386
00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:24.720
something that's not supposed to be out there, said Mike O'Donnell.
387
00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:35.880
Many wondered if what they'd found on the road side
388
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:40.880
was that very monster, and if it could be a chupacabra.
389
00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:46.960
That's no dog, said local Kenny Buck. He claimed his
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00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:50.440
cat was what the unknown creature was chasing when it
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00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:55.279
was struck. The cat was also found dead along Route four.
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00:31:56.839 --> 00:32:02.200
Local animal control and wildlife officials, however, seemed markedly unfazed.
393
00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:06.759
The O'Donnells contacted the main game warden, but were told
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00:32:06.839 --> 00:32:09.640
it was probably a coyote and that they should do
395
00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:13.279
their own research online because the game warden would not
396
00:32:13.599 --> 00:32:17.640
come out to inspect it. Michele did attempt to conduct
397
00:32:17.720 --> 00:32:20.640
her own research, but she was not able to find
398
00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:24.400
an animal that resembled what they had found anywhere on
399
00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:29.200
the internet. Quote it certainly doesn't look like a chow
400
00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:32.799
or any kind of domesticated dog that I've seen, said
401
00:32:32.839 --> 00:32:37.799
cryptozoologist Lauren Coleman after looking at the photos. It may
402
00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:41.599
be a hybrid between a dog and a wolf. When
403
00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:46.079
several days later, reporter Mark Laflam arrived to investigate for
404
00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:49.480
an article in The Sun Journal, the creature had decayed
405
00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:53.440
beyond recognition by the time I got there. It was
406
00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:58.799
a soupy mess. He recounted. However, the Sun Journal, desperate
407
00:32:58.880 --> 00:33:01.880
to get to the bottom of just what this monster was,
408
00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:07.119
sent its paw to a laboratory for DNA analysis, which,
409
00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:12.119
in this case confirmed that it was just a misunderstood dog,
410
00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:18.160
not a monster. This, of course, doesn't explain what had
411
00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:23.480
been terrorizing Adroscoggin County for fifteen years, so it's possible
412
00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:29.039
the creature really causing the issues is still out there. Maine,
413
00:33:29.160 --> 00:33:32.440
of course, isn't a place that's typically thought of when
414
00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:36.319
it comes to the Chupakara, but sightings have been less
415
00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:40.319
contained to the southern portion of the United States than
416
00:33:40.359 --> 00:33:44.319
one might think. One morning in the summer of two
417
00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:49.000
thousand eight, Michigan, der Cora saw something she'd never seen
418
00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:53.519
before on North Holly Road. It was four forty one
419
00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:56.440
a m. And she was driving home to Holly, Michigan,
420
00:33:56.839 --> 00:33:59.920
after dropping off a coworker from an art center in David.
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00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:05.480
She was driving attentively and was wide awake. She also
422
00:34:05.599 --> 00:34:07.839
had her high beams on to make it easier to
423
00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:11.199
spot any deer that might be wandering into the road.
424
00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:16.239
In the pre dawn hours. It was silent, just Cora
425
00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:22.000
and her car alone on the road as she approached
426
00:34:22.119 --> 00:34:26.400
Grange Hall Road, she spotted something large digging through a
427
00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:30.239
trash can on the right side of the street. She
428
00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:34.280
slowed down to get a better look. What is it
429
00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:39.159
was her very first thought on approach, she explained to
430
00:34:39.239 --> 00:34:43.400
the National UFO Reporting Center. It was much bigger than
431
00:34:43.440 --> 00:34:45.840
the average sort of animal she was used to seeing
432
00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:50.519
going through trash. Cora began to mentally go through every
433
00:34:50.679 --> 00:34:53.599
animal she could think of to find one that made
434
00:34:53.719 --> 00:34:57.559
sense with what she was seeing. It had rounded ears
435
00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:02.039
like a mouse and a long rat like tail, but
436
00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:06.320
it was far too big to be either. Its body
437
00:35:06.440 --> 00:35:10.719
reminded her of a kangaroo, but it was gray, not brown,
438
00:35:11.280 --> 00:35:14.039
and it had a head similar to that of a canine,
439
00:35:14.960 --> 00:35:19.440
but more pointed and triangular at the end. It stood
440
00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:24.800
upright and was about three feet tall. Perhaps most unsettling
441
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:28.199
was that, instead of pause, the creature appeared to hold
442
00:35:28.280 --> 00:35:34.840
the trash with slender, almost human hands. I don't know
443
00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:39.239
what I'm looking at, she thought, can't be a chupacabra?
444
00:35:40.039 --> 00:35:44.679
Could it in Michigan? Then it turned to look at
445
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:50.639
her with its large, round, glowing red eyes. The creature
446
00:35:50.760 --> 00:35:54.199
looked a little surprised that it had been seen almost
447
00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:57.960
as if it didn't know it could be seen. They
448
00:35:58.079 --> 00:36:01.719
stared at each other for three to four seconds in silence.
449
00:36:02.719 --> 00:36:05.480
The animal then dropped the trash it had been holding,
450
00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:09.199
got on all fours, and hopped off towards the woods
451
00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:15.199
like a rabbit. Ending their encounter. This wasn't her only
452
00:36:15.400 --> 00:36:20.639
sighting of this supposed chupacabra. Cora saw it again several
453
00:36:20.760 --> 00:36:24.480
days later while traveling home from a friend's house around
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00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:28.440
four a m. She was driving on Interstate seventy five
455
00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.920
near the Holly, Michigan exit, when she saw it hopping
456
00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:36.239
in the ditch along the highway. This time, she wasn't
457
00:36:36.280 --> 00:36:38.920
able to slow down or get a good look at
458
00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:41.960
the animal's body, but she was sure it was the
459
00:36:42.039 --> 00:36:47.079
same thing she'd seen on North Holly Road. After doing
460
00:36:47.159 --> 00:36:52.039
some research, Cora was convinced she'd seen a chupacabra. She
461
00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:56.719
contacted the National UFO Reporting Center, and the organization then
462
00:36:56.840 --> 00:37:01.360
filed a report with the Holly Police Department. The police, however,
463
00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:06.800
seemed not to take the sighting seriously. Another encounter with
464
00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:10.320
the cryptid took place in Oklahoma in the summer of
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00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:14.920
twenty eighteen. Mike and Lisa Curtis of Deer Creek were
466
00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:18.039
alarmed to see that their turkey and chickens had been
467
00:37:18.199 --> 00:37:22.400
killed in their backyard. They checked their game camera, which
468
00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:27.199
revealed a large dog like animal roaming their yard and
469
00:37:27.400 --> 00:37:31.239
then attacking four of their chickens and eating their turkey.
470
00:37:31.599 --> 00:37:37.320
Larina quote. When we saw this animal, we were we
471
00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:39.960
all didn't know what to say because it wasn't a
472
00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:43.639
coyote that I'd ever seen, Mike told Oklahoma News for
473
00:37:45.239 --> 00:37:48.360
Soon after watching the video, Mike found that there had
474
00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:50.960
been another sighting of a similar looking animal in the
475
00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:54.760
same area in two thousand and thirteen. It had been
476
00:37:54.800 --> 00:37:58.000
photographed by Craig Martin when he spotted it in a field.
477
00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:01.599
There had been talk of the animal being at Chupacabra
478
00:38:02.079 --> 00:38:06.960
and that the cryptid might be expanding its range North quote.
479
00:38:07.559 --> 00:38:11.519
We watched the video, read the article, and we're like, wow,
480
00:38:12.199 --> 00:38:14.840
this thing looks just like what we have on video.
481
00:38:15.719 --> 00:38:18.840
The guy had it on picture, now we have it
482
00:38:18.920 --> 00:38:23.599
on video, said Mike. While Mike and Lisa believed what
483
00:38:23.719 --> 00:38:27.320
they had seen to be at Chupacabra, the Oklahoma Department
484
00:38:27.360 --> 00:38:31.400
of Wildlife maintained that the images and video were likely
485
00:38:31.559 --> 00:38:35.639
that of a sickly coyote, but since the animal was
486
00:38:35.719 --> 00:38:41.360
never examined, its true origin remains unknown. One of the
487
00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:47.239
most recent and perplexing sightings comes from Texas. In May
488
00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:52.039
of twoenty twenty two, staff at the Armarillo Zoo in Armarillo,
489
00:38:52.199 --> 00:38:57.239
Texas noticed a strange figure on their security camera at
490
00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:01.639
one twenty five am, standing upright on two legs in
491
00:39:01.719 --> 00:39:05.239
a recreation area separated from the zoo by a tall
492
00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:09.760
chain link fence. Was something furry and as tall as
493
00:39:09.840 --> 00:39:14.400
a person, but with the features of a coyote or
494
00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:20.000
a fox. The black and white, slightly blurry image lacked
495
00:39:20.039 --> 00:39:24.480
the definition needed to make a solid analysis, but it
496
00:39:24.679 --> 00:39:29.800
was clearly eerie. In early June, the City of Armarillo
497
00:39:30.039 --> 00:39:33.559
released the picture along with a press release asking for
498
00:39:33.639 --> 00:39:37.400
the public's help to identify it. Was it a person
499
00:39:37.559 --> 00:39:40.480
with a strange hat who likes to walk at night,
500
00:39:41.159 --> 00:39:46.239
A large coyote on its hind legs, a chupacabra. It
501
00:39:46.480 --> 00:39:51.119
is a mystery for Armarillo to help solve, the city
502
00:39:51.280 --> 00:39:54.960
said in their statement. They made sure to clarify that
503
00:39:55.119 --> 00:39:58.960
while this was weird, the creature didn't get into the
504
00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:03.760
zoo hard from any animals or commit any crimes. They
505
00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:08.880
were simply interested in finding out what it was. Quote
506
00:40:09.519 --> 00:40:16.119
for now, the strange visitor is a UAO unidentified Armarillo object. However,
507
00:40:16.599 --> 00:40:20.920
perhaps Armarillo has a better explanation. In the spirit of fun,
508
00:40:21.159 --> 00:40:24.599
if not curiosity, the City of Armarillo is letting the
509
00:40:24.639 --> 00:40:29.320
public offer ideas on the identity of the UAO. They said.
510
00:40:30.440 --> 00:40:34.239
The public had plenty of ideas. Some even believed it
511
00:40:34.400 --> 00:40:37.519
was some sort of marketing hoax to encourage tourism in
512
00:40:37.599 --> 00:40:42.400
the city. Seattle based wireless camera company Wise when as
513
00:40:42.440 --> 00:40:45.800
far as to offer to donate eighty cameras to help
514
00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:49.719
in the search. But even with the entire city involved,
515
00:40:50.320 --> 00:40:57.679
the creature was never identified or seen again at first glance.
516
00:40:57.920 --> 00:41:01.440
One of the most perplexing things that these and many
517
00:41:01.519 --> 00:41:05.199
other chupacabra sightings have in common is the lack of
518
00:41:05.400 --> 00:41:09.519
urgency expressed by the police and the wildlife departments at
519
00:41:09.559 --> 00:41:14.280
the time they occurred. While the response to the unidentified
520
00:41:14.400 --> 00:41:18.639
Armarillo Object does seem to buck this trend, the city's
521
00:41:18.639 --> 00:41:22.559
statement to the public conveyed a sense of playfulness that
522
00:41:22.760 --> 00:41:28.360
indicated that there was little fear behind the sighting. The question, then,
523
00:41:28.440 --> 00:41:32.719
should be what could possibly cause the authorities to shrug
524
00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:37.840
off all these abnormal cases of a potentially dangerous monster.
525
00:41:39.079 --> 00:41:43.519
There are really only two answers. Either we are standing
526
00:41:43.639 --> 00:41:47.119
at the precipice of a massive conspiracy to cover up
527
00:41:47.320 --> 00:41:52.679
or hide the existence of a dangerous cryptid, or these
528
00:41:52.840 --> 00:41:58.239
organizations have reason not to take these eyewitness accounts seriously.
529
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:04.159
While the former is impossible to prove or disprove, we
530
00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:16.119
do have substantial evidence to support the latter. One of
531
00:42:16.199 --> 00:42:21.119
the most publicized and dissected chupacabra cases comes from Texas.
532
00:42:21.800 --> 00:42:25.760
In two thousand and seven, Phyllis Canyon of Cuero lost
533
00:42:25.840 --> 00:42:30.239
twenty eight chickens to attacks by an unknown animal. Each
534
00:42:30.440 --> 00:42:33.760
chicken had been slashed at its throat and appeared to
535
00:42:33.840 --> 00:42:38.639
be sucked dry of blood. Shortly after these incidents, she
536
00:42:38.840 --> 00:42:41.719
discovered the carcass of a strange animal next to the
537
00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:46.840
road near her ranch. While it resembled a canine, it
538
00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:51.599
was completely bald, its blue tinted skin resembling the hide
539
00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:56.119
of an elephant more than a coyotes flesh. It also
540
00:42:56.320 --> 00:42:59.760
had two strange pouches of skin on either side of
541
00:42:59.760 --> 00:43:05.559
its tale, and shockingly blue eyes. She noted that unlike
542
00:43:05.679 --> 00:43:09.119
coyotes and wolves, it only had three toes on its
543
00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:13.760
front feet instead of four, and only four nipples instead
544
00:43:13.800 --> 00:43:18.480
of the usual eight to ten. Phyllis was convinced she'd
545
00:43:18.559 --> 00:43:25.360
found something extraordinary, possibly a chupacabra. She decided to call
546
00:43:25.440 --> 00:43:28.639
it the Blue Dog because of its skin color, and
547
00:43:28.800 --> 00:43:33.360
eventually had it taxidermy to display in her home. With
548
00:43:33.519 --> 00:43:37.400
the help of kNs five News, Phyllis was able to
549
00:43:37.519 --> 00:43:42.000
send a DNA sample to Texas State University for evaluation.
550
00:43:43.079 --> 00:43:48.159
The results were not what she was expecting. Quote the
551
00:43:48.280 --> 00:43:53.079
DNA sequence is a virtually identical match to DNA from
552
00:43:53.119 --> 00:43:59.119
the coyote or Canis latrons. Mike Forstner of the Biology
553
00:43:59.199 --> 00:44:04.239
department at Texas State explained to kNs five. Quote, this
554
00:44:04.480 --> 00:44:07.079
is probably not the answer a lot of folks thought
555
00:44:07.199 --> 00:44:11.000
might be the outcome. I myself really thought it was
556
00:44:11.039 --> 00:44:16.119
a domestic dog, but the Querro chupacabra is a Texas coyote.
557
00:44:17.159 --> 00:44:21.679
But Phyllis didn't have just one DNA test done, but
558
00:44:21.960 --> 00:44:27.320
many because she wasn't satisfied with the results. These later
559
00:44:27.519 --> 00:44:32.400
tests suggested the blue Dog was actually a Mexican wolf
560
00:44:32.480 --> 00:44:37.599
and coyote hybrid, but Phyllis maintained that the creature simply
561
00:44:37.760 --> 00:44:41.480
had too many unique features to be related to these
562
00:44:42.039 --> 00:44:46.719
very real canines. She also stipulated the reason for its
563
00:44:46.760 --> 00:44:52.920
hairlessness was that the species lived underground, despite mange being
564
00:44:53.039 --> 00:44:57.719
a much more likely cause. Quote, we had some bad
565
00:44:57.840 --> 00:45:01.840
floods and that may have forced them above ground, said Phyllis.
566
00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:06.360
Other blue dog sightings have occurred in eastern Texas and
567
00:45:06.559 --> 00:45:10.519
southern Oklahoma, but no others have been caught or studied.
568
00:45:11.679 --> 00:45:14.480
Since we know from the DNA evidence that wolves and
569
00:45:14.599 --> 00:45:19.360
coyotes were possibly breeding in the area, other similar looking
570
00:45:19.480 --> 00:45:24.239
animals existing would seem to make sense. Phillis hoped to
571
00:45:24.320 --> 00:45:27.760
catch another so she could do further DNA testing on
572
00:45:27.880 --> 00:45:31.400
the species, but it seems likely that if she did,
573
00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:36.320
the results would not yield anything that would be considered shocking.
574
00:45:38.079 --> 00:45:41.320
In the late two thousands, Texas was a hotbed for
575
00:45:41.400 --> 00:45:45.519
chupacabra sightings. In two thousand and nine, just two years
576
00:45:45.599 --> 00:45:49.239
after the blue Dog, Lynn Butler, a student of the
577
00:45:49.320 --> 00:45:53.599
Blanco Taxidermy School in Blanco, brought a strange animal to
578
00:45:53.719 --> 00:45:57.719
his teacher, Jerry Ayer, to look at. The animal was
579
00:45:57.760 --> 00:46:02.320
thought to be responsible for killing his cousin's chickens. In
580
00:46:02.400 --> 00:46:05.719
an attempt to stop the attacker, His cousin had left
581
00:46:05.800 --> 00:46:09.079
poison in the barn, and upon returning the next day,
582
00:46:09.679 --> 00:46:15.360
found it dead. The hairless, gray, leathery skinned creature wasn't
583
00:46:15.480 --> 00:46:19.440
something they could identify, so Lynn hoped his teacher could
584
00:46:19.480 --> 00:46:23.280
shed some light on just what it was, But Jerry
585
00:46:23.639 --> 00:46:26.119
wasn't sure what to make out of what was in
586
00:46:26.239 --> 00:46:30.280
front of him. Quote. To be honest, I don't know
587
00:46:30.400 --> 00:46:33.719
what it is. I'd probably say it's a freak of nature,
588
00:46:33.800 --> 00:46:37.920
coyote or a hybrid breed with a genetic mutation, he
589
00:46:38.119 --> 00:46:44.000
told the La Times. Unsurprisingly, Jerry decided to taxidermy the animal,
590
00:46:44.519 --> 00:46:49.400
hoping a museum might have interest in it. Quote. It's
591
00:46:49.519 --> 00:46:53.000
definitely something I don't want to throw away. I think
592
00:46:53.079 --> 00:46:56.559
it will be an interesting mount and a tremendous conversation piece,
593
00:46:57.360 --> 00:47:02.719
he explained to KSTAT News. As he had hoped, Jerry
594
00:47:02.840 --> 00:47:05.679
was able to sell the specimen for an undisclosed amount
595
00:47:06.199 --> 00:47:09.639
to John Adolphi for his museum in Phoenix, New York.
596
00:47:10.440 --> 00:47:14.519
As a believer in creationism, Adolphe filled the Lost World
597
00:47:14.679 --> 00:47:19.000
Museum with oddities that he'd collected in an attempt to
598
00:47:19.159 --> 00:47:24.360
disprove evolution. The Blanco Texas chupacabra, as John called it,
599
00:47:24.960 --> 00:47:29.760
was displayed along with other strange creatures, including a cyclops cat.
600
00:47:30.719 --> 00:47:33.119
He hoped to show just how much there is in
601
00:47:33.199 --> 00:47:39.199
the world that science was still unable to explain. Unfortunately
602
00:47:39.320 --> 00:47:42.840
for him, science was actually able to explain the Blanco
603
00:47:42.960 --> 00:47:47.679
Texas chupacabra in two thousand seventeen, with access to a
604
00:47:47.800 --> 00:47:52.960
DNA sample. Researchers at UC Davis concluded that the animal
605
00:47:53.280 --> 00:47:57.920
was again a Mexican wolf and coyote hybrid that may
606
00:47:58.119 --> 00:48:02.320
or may not have had maine, which by now you
607
00:48:02.559 --> 00:48:06.199
may see a pattern forming, but it seems the public
608
00:48:06.760 --> 00:48:12.159
did not. One December afternoon in twenty ten, a strange
609
00:48:12.239 --> 00:48:14.920
animal emerged from the woods into the front yard of
610
00:48:15.039 --> 00:48:19.880
Mark Cothine's property in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky. It was the
611
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:23.679
size of a cat, with large ears, a long tail,
612
00:48:24.079 --> 00:48:30.079
and whiskers, but shockingly completely bald. Suffice it to say
613
00:48:30.639 --> 00:48:35.440
it didn't look like anything he'd ever seen before. Quote,
614
00:48:36.119 --> 00:48:40.280
I was like every animal has hair, especially this time
615
00:48:40.360 --> 00:48:44.679
of year, he told Wave three News. What puzzled me
616
00:48:44.840 --> 00:48:48.320
is how something like that could survive through a winter
617
00:48:48.840 --> 00:48:53.519
with no hair. Worried that the animal could be dangerous,
618
00:48:54.000 --> 00:48:58.079
Mark shot and killed it. When he posted photos he'd
619
00:48:58.119 --> 00:49:01.159
taken of it on the internet and any commenters thought
620
00:49:01.280 --> 00:49:06.119
he might have found a chupacabra. Quote. Everybody is leaning
621
00:49:06.280 --> 00:49:10.920
kind of toward that it's the cheopacabra, he laughed. People
622
00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:13.639
have come up to me saying that's what the thing
623
00:49:13.840 --> 00:49:17.360
is because I pulled it up on the Internet. Wanting
624
00:49:17.440 --> 00:49:20.239
to get to the bottom of what the animal actually was,
625
00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:25.039
Mark contacted the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
626
00:49:25.599 --> 00:49:29.679
and agreed to deliver it to them for analysis. Based
627
00:49:29.719 --> 00:49:34.079
on its feet, skull, and dental formation, they were able
628
00:49:34.159 --> 00:49:39.639
to confirm that it was actually a raccoon. The raccoon
629
00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:43.079
didn't appear to have any diseases that could explain why
630
00:49:43.679 --> 00:49:48.039
it was hairless, so the biologist that examined it concluded
631
00:49:48.119 --> 00:49:54.599
that this feature was likely a genetic abnormality. Rounding out
632
00:49:54.639 --> 00:49:58.639
the disproven sightings. Is what occurred in South Carolina in
633
00:49:58.760 --> 00:50:03.559
twenty seventeen. Doug Stewart was playing a round of golf
634
00:50:03.639 --> 00:50:08.079
at Santee Cooper Country Club in Santee, South Carolina, when
635
00:50:08.119 --> 00:50:12.599
he saw a strange gray creature. He took a picture
636
00:50:13.239 --> 00:50:19.039
and immediately posted it to Facebook. Quote Okay, playing golf
637
00:50:19.119 --> 00:50:23.119
in Sante, South Carolina. Can somebody please tell me what
638
00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:28.519
the flock this is? Hashtag that ain't no dog, he
639
00:50:28.639 --> 00:50:32.960
begged his friends in his post. The picture went viral,
640
00:50:33.440 --> 00:50:39.760
and many commenters conjectured that he may have seen a chupacabra. However,
641
00:50:40.599 --> 00:50:44.239
fur bearer project manager for the South Carolina Department of
642
00:50:44.360 --> 00:50:49.280
Natural Resources, Jay but Falowski, immediately identified it as a
643
00:50:49.400 --> 00:50:54.880
canine with mange without examining it in person. He wasn't
644
00:50:54.920 --> 00:51:01.719
sure which, but possibly a coyote or fox. Quote Either way,
645
00:51:02.280 --> 00:51:15.199
it has got mange, he told ABC four. Countless chupacabra
646
00:51:15.400 --> 00:51:19.840
sightings follow this pattern. An eyewitness either takes a picture
647
00:51:20.119 --> 00:51:23.840
or kills a beast they think is the chupacabra, and
648
00:51:24.000 --> 00:51:26.679
it turns out to be an animal common in the area,
649
00:51:27.639 --> 00:51:31.280
usually a dog or coyote, that is hairless. It can
650
00:51:31.400 --> 00:51:34.960
be difficult to recognize an animal without its typical coat,
651
00:51:35.480 --> 00:51:38.239
and even more so with an animal that usually has
652
00:51:38.360 --> 00:51:43.840
such fluffy, recognizable fur, like a raccoon or even a coyote.
653
00:51:44.920 --> 00:51:49.519
While the confusion these naked animals cause is understandable. What
654
00:51:49.920 --> 00:51:53.800
is causing so many hairless wild animals to appear in
655
00:51:53.960 --> 00:51:59.519
such populated areas. While some animals, like the raccoon in
656
00:51:59.639 --> 00:52:04.679
Kentucky are simply genetic anomalies, most of the chupacabra sightings
657
00:52:04.840 --> 00:52:08.480
can and have been attributed to animals with a skin condition.
658
00:52:09.039 --> 00:52:13.559
More specifically, as we've learned with many of these sightings, mange.
659
00:52:14.400 --> 00:52:17.000
There are two types of mange that could cause the
660
00:52:17.079 --> 00:52:22.119
skin issues seen in many of these animals. Demodectic mange
661
00:52:22.599 --> 00:52:28.599
and sarcoptic mange both have very similar symptoms, and analysis
662
00:52:28.639 --> 00:52:31.639
of skin scrapings and the mites under a microscope or
663
00:52:31.760 --> 00:52:36.039
a blood test is needed to determine the type. Mange
664
00:52:36.119 --> 00:52:40.559
is very curable when treated with topical or oral medications.
665
00:52:41.880 --> 00:52:47.400
Demodectic mange, sometimes called red mange or demodex is caused
666
00:52:47.440 --> 00:52:51.320
by the demo dex mte. These parasitic mites live in
667
00:52:51.400 --> 00:52:55.360
the hair follicles of most animals. They usually don't cause
668
00:52:55.400 --> 00:52:59.119
any harm in healthy animals, but when the immune system
669
00:52:59.239 --> 00:53:03.480
is compromised, these mites can spread across the skin rapidly
670
00:53:04.320 --> 00:53:08.360
and start to cause problems. This type of mange is
671
00:53:08.519 --> 00:53:13.519
generally seen in young animals with underdeveloped immune systems, elderly
672
00:53:13.599 --> 00:53:17.159
animals with failing immune systems, and those who are sick
673
00:53:17.360 --> 00:53:22.599
or suffering from malutrition. Demodectic mites can spread from mother
674
00:53:22.760 --> 00:53:25.519
to child in the first few days of life, but
675
00:53:25.719 --> 00:53:31.280
animals with demodectic mange are not contagious. Though demodectic mange
676
00:53:31.480 --> 00:53:35.440
is the most common type seen in dogs, its sarcoptic
677
00:53:35.639 --> 00:53:40.519
mange that's usually mentioned in chupacabra cases, also known as
678
00:53:40.679 --> 00:53:46.719
canine scabies. Sarcoptic mange is caused by Sarcopdis scabii mites,
679
00:53:47.079 --> 00:53:50.199
which burrow tunnels under the animal's outer layer of skin.
680
00:53:51.239 --> 00:53:54.559
The mites use their digestive enzymes to break down and
681
00:53:54.760 --> 00:53:58.719
consume skin tissue, and then the adult female mites lay
682
00:53:58.840 --> 00:54:03.400
eggs in the tunnels they've created. This digging and an
683
00:54:03.440 --> 00:54:07.559
allergic reaction to the mite's saliva and feces cause skin
684
00:54:07.599 --> 00:54:12.239
irritation that leads to intense itching. The affected animal is
685
00:54:12.440 --> 00:54:16.199
likely to lick and scratch at infested areas, sometimes to
686
00:54:16.280 --> 00:54:21.360
the point of self mutilation. Infestations usually start in areas
687
00:54:21.679 --> 00:54:25.320
with thinner skin, such as the head or ears and
688
00:54:25.519 --> 00:54:30.320
then spread. In addition, the areas of affected skin develop
689
00:54:30.400 --> 00:54:35.000
crusty pimples and elevated lesions that then harden and thicken.
690
00:54:36.199 --> 00:54:41.079
Widespread hair loss is also associated with ongoing mange. This
691
00:54:41.360 --> 00:54:44.880
sounds strikingly similar to the description of the Texas blue
692
00:54:44.920 --> 00:54:49.320
dog's skin with its dry, cracked, elephant hide like appearance,
693
00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:55.800
and biologists in that case agree. Occasionally, in mange cases,
694
00:54:56.239 --> 00:55:00.800
the animal will also develop secondary bacterial skin infection due
695
00:55:00.840 --> 00:55:05.719
to open lesions caused by scratching. These infections can produce
696
00:55:05.760 --> 00:55:09.719
a foul odour and would also explain the smell sometimes
697
00:55:09.760 --> 00:55:14.719
associated with the chupacabra. Coyotes can live for up to
698
00:55:14.840 --> 00:55:18.599
two years with mange before they either succumb to starvation
699
00:55:19.280 --> 00:55:23.360
or die of a secondary infection. The only real threat
700
00:55:23.440 --> 00:55:28.039
they pose during that time is spreading sarcoptic mange, which
701
00:55:28.119 --> 00:55:32.400
is highly contagious to other canines. It can spread through
702
00:55:32.480 --> 00:55:38.840
direct contact or contaminated environments. Sarcoptic mange can even temporarily
703
00:55:39.000 --> 00:55:44.519
infect humans, causing intense itching, though not for very long,
704
00:55:44.639 --> 00:55:49.559
as this particular version of Sarcoptis scabilli might can't complete
705
00:55:49.679 --> 00:55:54.639
its life cycle outside of canines. Animals with mange may
706
00:55:54.719 --> 00:55:58.119
be too sick to hunt as they regularly would, and
707
00:55:58.280 --> 00:56:02.039
instead go for easier pro even if it means coming
708
00:56:02.079 --> 00:56:07.400
into contact with people. Quote. Because these animals are greatly weakened,
709
00:56:07.719 --> 00:56:10.599
they're going to have a hard time hunting, so they
710
00:56:10.639 --> 00:56:14.519
may be forced into attacking livestock because it's easier than
711
00:56:14.599 --> 00:56:18.400
running down a rabbit or a deer, University of Michigan
712
00:56:18.639 --> 00:56:24.440
biologist Barry O'Connor explained to Manga bay dot com. According
713
00:56:24.559 --> 00:56:29.159
to the Wildlife Rescue Wildlife Care of Southern California, an
714
00:56:29.320 --> 00:56:32.719
organization that has been treating wild coyotes and bobcats for
715
00:56:32.880 --> 00:56:37.840
mange since twenty thirteen, coyotes with mange are active during
716
00:56:37.920 --> 00:56:43.679
the day to avoid competition. In Southern California, these dehydrated
717
00:56:43.760 --> 00:56:47.400
and hungry animals often stand on street corners or in
718
00:56:47.480 --> 00:56:50.239
the middle of the street, waiting for people to feed
719
00:56:50.360 --> 00:56:55.119
them when they can no longer hunt for themselves. Hence,
720
00:56:55.199 --> 00:56:58.679
we find ourselves with a case of mistaken identity of
721
00:56:58.800 --> 00:57:04.159
these disconcerting looks disease coyotes and other canines, But what
722
00:57:04.320 --> 00:57:08.880
of their strange vamporized victims. If you believe mange doesn't
723
00:57:08.960 --> 00:57:13.199
cause animals to suck livestock dry of blood. Well, you
724
00:57:13.239 --> 00:57:17.639
would be correct. However, to this point in time, no
725
00:57:17.920 --> 00:57:21.920
animal that has been necropsied after a chupacabra attack was
726
00:57:22.000 --> 00:57:26.320
found to have actually been drained of blood. This misconception
727
00:57:26.480 --> 00:57:29.719
from eyewitnesses could be due to the lack of blood
728
00:57:29.880 --> 00:57:33.800
found at the bite wounds. While some have argued that
729
00:57:33.880 --> 00:57:36.760
it doesn't make sense for a predator like a coyote
730
00:57:37.079 --> 00:57:40.159
to kill an animal and then not eat it, this
731
00:57:40.480 --> 00:57:45.239
is also not true. According to the Texas Natural Resources Server,
732
00:57:45.800 --> 00:57:51.440
a natural resource management database, both coyotes and dogs, attacks
733
00:57:51.480 --> 00:57:55.840
from which can appear very similar, do sometimes kill animals
734
00:57:55.960 --> 00:58:00.599
and then, either due to inexperience or injuries, end up
735
00:58:00.800 --> 00:58:05.480
not consuming them. Dogs in particular are known to cause
736
00:58:05.559 --> 00:58:09.800
severe injuries to smaller animals without killing them, and are
737
00:58:09.920 --> 00:58:15.000
unlikely to actually eat these animals. That being said, a
738
00:58:15.159 --> 00:58:19.760
large number of these attacked animals die later due to infections,
739
00:58:20.159 --> 00:58:25.639
blood loss, or shock. Whether or not you believe the
740
00:58:25.800 --> 00:58:30.320
scientific communities take on the version of the chupacabra endemic
741
00:58:30.440 --> 00:58:33.719
to the United States since the early two thousands, it
742
00:58:33.880 --> 00:58:38.039
does not seem to explain the original and early sightings
743
00:58:38.079 --> 00:58:44.320
of a reptilian, spike covered monster. Benjamin Radford, managing editor
744
00:58:44.360 --> 00:58:48.239
of The Skeptical Inquirer and author of Tracking the Chupacabra,
745
00:58:48.599 --> 00:58:52.559
The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction and Folklore, believes the
746
00:58:52.639 --> 00:58:58.440
original chupacabra description is little more than fiction. After combing
747
00:58:58.519 --> 00:59:01.039
through all of the reports of chewing the bacabra sightings
748
00:59:01.079 --> 00:59:04.360
in Puerto Rico, he realized that they all described the
749
00:59:04.519 --> 00:59:08.320
monster in the same way Madeleine Tolentino had in her
750
00:59:08.400 --> 00:59:13.039
nineteen ninety five encounter. Her account, along with a sketch
751
00:59:13.079 --> 00:59:16.840
of the creature, was published in the local newspaper, as
752
00:59:16.960 --> 00:59:20.719
hers was the first documented sighting of the chupacabra. This
753
00:59:20.880 --> 00:59:24.960
striking consistency could lead one to believe that the reports
754
00:59:25.000 --> 00:59:29.880
were all of something very real and previously unknown, But
755
00:59:30.079 --> 00:59:36.800
Benjamin noticed something strange. Madeleine's description of a gray bipedal
756
00:59:36.920 --> 00:59:41.559
creature with spines on its back had an uncanny resemblance
757
00:59:41.679 --> 00:59:45.679
to the alien human hybrid Sill from the hit nineteen
758
00:59:45.800 --> 00:59:50.960
ninety five science fiction film Species. Benjamin even went as
759
00:59:51.079 --> 00:59:56.519
far as to interview Madeline about her experience. He asked
760
00:59:56.519 --> 00:59:59.400
her if she'd seen the film and she admitted that
761
00:59:59.519 --> 01:00:03.559
she'd seen in a few weeks before her encounter. She'd
762
01:00:03.599 --> 01:00:06.559
even told an interviewer in nineteen ninety seven that the
763
01:00:06.639 --> 01:00:12.480
resemblance between the chupacabra and SCYL was impressive. Quote. You
764
01:00:12.599 --> 01:00:16.039
can make a direct connection between the film hitting theaters,
765
01:00:16.480 --> 01:00:19.360
her seeing the creature in the film, seeing it in
766
01:00:19.440 --> 01:00:23.400
the street, making the report, and entering the public conscious,
767
01:00:24.599 --> 01:00:28.119
he said in an article for Live Science. But if
768
01:00:28.199 --> 01:00:32.639
people weren't seeing an alien like creature, what were they seeing.
769
01:00:33.960 --> 01:00:38.559
Biologist Barry O'Connor has postulated that what was originally seen
770
01:00:38.639 --> 01:00:43.039
in Puerto Rico was a monkey with mange, but there's
771
01:00:43.159 --> 01:00:48.239
far from a consensus. Interestingly enough, the Puerto Rican authorities
772
01:00:48.599 --> 01:00:52.679
had their own theories about the chupacabra, less sensational than
773
01:00:52.719 --> 01:00:56.320
those expressed by the Mayor of canavanas they appeared to
774
01:00:56.400 --> 01:01:00.480
have been discarded by the public and forgotten almost in higherly.
775
01:01:00.639 --> 01:01:06.000
Nearly thirty years later, Hector Garcia of Puerto Rico's Department
776
01:01:06.079 --> 01:01:10.320
of Agriculture Veterinary Services thought there was a good possibility
777
01:01:10.440 --> 01:01:14.880
that the animals slaughtered were victims of dog attacks. He
778
01:01:15.039 --> 01:01:18.360
said there was nothing unusual about the cases and the
779
01:01:18.519 --> 01:01:23.079
animals which his team necropsied also were not drained of
780
01:01:23.199 --> 01:01:28.280
blood as had been claimed. Without pictures or DNA evidence,
781
01:01:28.719 --> 01:01:32.320
we may never know for certain what spurred the original cases,
782
01:01:33.000 --> 01:01:35.599
but it's evident that they are not related to what
783
01:01:35.800 --> 01:01:40.480
became of the chupacabra after How did the description of
784
01:01:40.519 --> 01:01:45.800
this blood sucking monster change so radically. What is abundantly
785
01:01:45.920 --> 01:01:49.239
clear from the story of the chupacabra is that witnesses
786
01:01:49.400 --> 01:01:53.320
in general are not as good at identifying wildlife as
787
01:01:53.360 --> 01:01:57.119
they believe themselves to be. It's important to remember that
788
01:01:57.239 --> 01:02:01.800
the original wave of chupacabra sightings occurred before the omnipresence
789
01:02:02.119 --> 01:02:06.880
of social media. It's likely that, especially during the earlier
790
01:02:07.039 --> 01:02:10.840
years of the chupacabra sightings, those outside of Puerto Rico
791
01:02:11.239 --> 01:02:15.000
had little idea of the description of the creature, especially
792
01:02:15.119 --> 01:02:18.559
those who didn't speak Spanish. So the public in the
793
01:02:18.679 --> 01:02:23.760
United States mainland was aware of some monster attacking livestock
794
01:02:23.840 --> 01:02:28.000
in Puerto Rico, followed quickly by certain communities in Florida
795
01:02:28.239 --> 01:02:32.119
and Texas, but not much more than that. It was
796
01:02:32.320 --> 01:02:36.920
just known as a mysterious, unidentified creature. Because of this,
797
01:02:37.519 --> 01:02:41.280
many who saw animals that couldn't be immediately identified as
798
01:02:41.599 --> 01:02:45.000
something common to the normal landscape, began to use the
799
01:02:45.079 --> 01:02:50.079
term chupacabra to describe them. Since the animal they've seen
800
01:02:50.239 --> 01:02:54.159
also defies identification, calling it the name of something else
801
01:02:54.280 --> 01:02:57.239
they couldn't make sense of seemed like a safe bet.
802
01:02:58.400 --> 01:03:01.559
It's as if the chupacabra just became the catch all
803
01:03:01.760 --> 01:03:06.800
term for all unidentified four legged animals instead of a
804
01:03:06.880 --> 01:03:11.039
cryptid with a set of very specific traits. Add to
805
01:03:11.159 --> 01:03:14.400
this that most of the animals causing the confusion and
806
01:03:14.679 --> 01:03:18.760
livestock attacks were canines with mange. By the time photos
807
01:03:18.800 --> 01:03:23.360
were being highly shared and publicized, that chupacabra had completely
808
01:03:23.480 --> 01:03:28.559
morphed into an emaciated, hairless dog. The proof of what
809
01:03:28.800 --> 01:03:33.079
does exist based on very real evidence collected, should give
810
01:03:33.159 --> 01:03:36.559
us pause when encountering an animal that we're unfamiliar with.
811
01:03:37.440 --> 01:03:40.400
It's important to suss out what is dangerous and what
812
01:03:40.559 --> 01:03:43.719
is something that actually needs our help before we act.
813
01:03:44.519 --> 01:03:47.000
But can we say without a shadow of a doubt
814
01:03:47.400 --> 01:03:51.000
that every sighting of the chupacabra has been a misidentified
815
01:03:51.079 --> 01:03:55.599
coyote with mange or some other disfigured and suffering animal.
816
01:03:56.639 --> 01:04:01.440
Of course, not every year previously unknown species are discovered,
817
01:04:01.960 --> 01:04:06.000
so why not the chupacabra. As with any creature in
818
01:04:06.079 --> 01:04:09.400
the realm of cryptozoology, there is no real way to
819
01:04:09.519 --> 01:04:13.800
prove it does not exist as an alien, an escaped
820
01:04:13.840 --> 01:04:18.360
experiment in genetic modification, or even a very real and
821
01:04:18.519 --> 01:04:23.199
yet to be discovered animal. The chupacabra could be out there.
822
01:04:24.000 --> 01:04:27.440
It may be waiting in the vast reaches of space
823
01:04:28.280 --> 01:04:33.519
or the dark, untamed wilderness for a time when we
824
01:04:33.679 --> 01:04:38.280
all get a little too comfortable so it can attack
825
01:04:39.159 --> 01:04:44.079
once again. Terrifying and True is narrated by Enrique Kuta.
826
01:04:44.440 --> 01:04:48.440
It's executive produced by Rob Fields, Mark Shields and Boboltopia
827
01:04:48.559 --> 01:04:52.400
dot com. It's produced by Dan Wilder with original music
828
01:04:52.760 --> 01:04:55.280
by Ray Mattis. If you have a story you'd like
829
01:04:55.400 --> 01:04:57.960
us to cover, send us an email at Weekly Spooky
830
01:04:58.239 --> 01:05:00.280
at gmail dot com, and if you want us ordis
831
01:05:00.320 --> 01:05:02.760
directly for as little as one dollar a month, simply
832
01:05:02.840 --> 01:05:06.480
go to Weeklyspooky dot com and click on Patreon. Your
833
01:05:06.639 --> 01:05:10.519
support helps us keep the podcast going and growing, and
834
01:05:10.639 --> 01:05:12.559
speaking of I want to say an extra special thank
835
01:05:12.599 --> 01:05:15.519
you to our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who pay us
836
01:05:15.559 --> 01:05:17.119
a little bit more to hear their name at the
837
01:05:17.199 --> 01:05:20.119
end of the show, and they are Johnny Nicks, Jenny Green,
838
01:05:20.239 --> 01:05:23.400
Amber Hansford, Brent McCullough, Karen We met, Jack Kerr and
839
01:05:23.599 --> 01:05:26.199
Craig Cohen. Thank you all so much, and thank you
840
01:05:26.320 --> 01:05:29.079
all for listening. We'll see you right here next time
841
01:05:29.599 --> 01:05:32.239
on Terrifying and True, on Weekly Spooky
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