Chupacabra: a Legend or Real-Life Monster?

KOB ^ | ToM Joles

[nickcarraway]

If your ears perk up when you hear the word 'chupacabra', you're not alone. KOB sat down with a New Mexico researcher who claims to know why chupacabra sighting are on the rise and why more bodies than ever are being found. Ben Radford is that man – a local investigator and writer, and the author of 'Tracking the Chupacabra.'

He's fascinated with the people's fascination with chupacabras and has spent years wondering if they are real. "When people say skeptics are debunkers – that's mean, evil and gloomy. I would love to find chupacabra; I would love to find Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster," Radford said. "If they're out there, I want to be the first person to poke at it and sniff it."

His research is already poking holes in parts of the story.

"There are some people who think the chupacabra goes way back, yes. It does not. The chupacabra only goes back to 1995," he said.

That's the year a woman in Puerto Rico reported seeing it.

"She saw this weird thing outside her house where she lived with her mother," Radford said. "She said it was three-to-four feet high and had this weird, distinctive set of spikes down its back."

Radford flew to Puerto Rico to interview the woman, who admitted to watching a movie featuring a strange-looking creature shortly before reporting the chupacabra sighting.

"When you look at what she saw, there are some strong similarities there…and she admitted to me that she saw this movie: 'Species'," he said.

He says that is what people imagined when they pictured a chupacabra until about 2000, when the "sightings" started turning up creatures that look like a dog, fox or coyote – except that they're hairless. Several bodies of the new version of the chupacabra have been found.

A woman who lived on a ranch in Texas found an animal she claimed to be chupacabra, and lately, even more bodies have turned up.

According to Radford, that is exactly the key to the mystery.

"When you do DNA testing on these alleged chupacabras, they're known animals," Radford said. "They are coyotes or dogs. In some cases, they're raccoons. The hairlessness can be explained by a disease called sarcoptic mange, which is caused by skin mites."

Radford says more animals with advanced mange are roaming around because of global warming. He says those animals normally would have died off because of the cold, but due to climate change, they're surviving longer. "I'm pretty sure there's no chupacabra," Radford said.

[nickcarraway]

Ping

[FredZarguna]

Radford says more animals with advanced mange are roaming around because of global warming.

I was sure this would be Bush's fault.

[freedom6178]

Radford says more animals with advanced mange are roaming around because of global warming.

Global warming strikes again!

[Bullish]

In before the ‘man bear pig’ remark.

[Politicalkiddo]

It’s real and lives in the White House. We’ve named it Michelle.

[Gaffer]

No, you’re confusing Chupacabra with Baba Yaga.....:0)

[Mjaye]

Paging Art Bell...

[Raycpa]

Can one get a global warming grant to study chucacabras?

[hadaclueonce]

Come help look for our Big Foot/chupacabra Ping!

Food and lodging available.

Brought to you by our local Chamber of Commerce.

[WinMod70]

I tried a Chupacabra shortly after Taco Bell introduced them. Reminded me of a cross between a taco and a burrito that produced similar gastrointestinal results.

[Desron13]

Chupacabras are a hoax but global warming is real. I think I’m more inclined to believe in the Chupacabra.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Chupacabra= Mangy Coyote :-)

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

It should be relatively easy to find a chupacabra. Just tell the admissions officer at some liberal university that if they can recruit just one chupacabra, it will be worth five separate “diversity” quotas. He’ll enroll at least a dozen.

And, if chupacabras don’t exist, then explain how a dozen of them got degrees in racial and ethnic studies.

[DPMD]

Anyone notice how the Chupacabra and Hillary have never appeared in the same place at the same time?

[Tijeras_Slim]

Tom Joles? I figured this to be more Stuart Dyson stuff!

NM list PING!

I may not PING for all New Mexico articles. To see New Mexico articles by topic click here: New Mexico Topics

To see NM articles by keyword, click here: New Mexico Keywords

To see the NM Message Page, click here: New Mexico Messages

(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
(For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the article for free after answering a question or watching a short video commercial.)

[pallis]

Say it ain’t so. Global warming...? LOL! All this record cold weather doesn’t count for cold weather in the age of warming fanaticism. Even the chupacabras fall prey to it.

[CedarDave]

Thanks Slim. I’ve been out of touch the past few days.