Origins of La Chupacabra
Where does La Chupacabra come from
La Chupacabra, 'goat-sucker', gets its name from its sucking the blood out of its favorite victims, goats. There are many differing accounts on how La Chupacabra looks, however most accounts say it is a creature with reptilian grey or blue skin with patches of fur. La Chupacabra's fangs stick out of their mouth, and their red eyes have a paralyzing ability. They have spines that burst through the skin on their head and back, as well as long claws to help them hold down prey. Some accounts tell of bat-like wings that can be up to thirteen feet long. Chupacabras are usually around three feet tall and can jump twenty feet at a time (McCall).
First Sightings
La Chupacabra was first reported in 1995 after eight sheep were found dead with puncture wounds found in the neck and no blood left in the bodies. Soon after, over 1,000 farm animals were mysteriously killed in Puerto Rico, and many suspected a Chupacabra did it (Regan). The Chupacabra name comes from a Puerto Rican comedian and television star, Silverio Perez, who coined the term as a joke (Wright). In the next fifteen years, dozens of Chubracabras were sighted.
Taino and Zuni Indians
There have been sightings of similar creatures dating back hundreds of years, with tales coming from the Zuni Indians in New Mexico and the Taino Indians in the Caribbean. The Zuni Indians have stories about the Spanish Conquistador Coronado's livestock being attacked by an alien-like creature who sucked the blood out of the animals. Dona Serafina, a New Mexican woman, has stories of an Indian witch doctor who had a Chupacabra as a pet (Radford). The Taino Indians had legends of a similar beast to La Chupacabra, that their deities allowed to live in the forest. The Taino would hunt and sometimes eat these beasts (Gross).
Chupacabra Attacks
Attacks of La Chupacabra have been reported in Puerto Rico, multiple U.S. States, Mexico, Brazil, and other Latin American countries. Attacks have mainly been focused on farm animals and pets; however, a nurse in Mexico claims to have lost an arm to a Chupacabra (McCall). Even though humans have been largely left alone by La Chupacabra, many sightings and attempted killings have been reported in the last 25 years. Sightings of La Chupacabra are usually reported by farmers and people who live in rural areas.
Mythological Importance
La Chupacabra is told as a ghost story in many Latin American cultures, however, it has affected research teams and city politics. A mayor in Canovas, Puerto Rico, focused his campaign around hunting and killing a chupacabra. He set traps around the town and hunted the beast at night (Regan). In 2005 a research team in a South American jungle caught the beast on tape and collected hair and skin samples from the beast. This six-million-dollar project presented its evidence to the University of Texas, which was unable to match these samples to any known animal (McCall). La Chupacabra has become a well-known Puerto Rican myth that has spread worldwide. The legend of La Chupacabra has been spread through word of mouth and brought Latin America together through folklore (Sims).
