Chupacabras in the Southwest?

About 100 miles south of San Antonio, Texas, and the same distance southwest of Houston, sits the little town of Cuero.

Phyllis Canion, who lives just south of Cuero, had been having some very strange and scary experiences.

One day, walking on her property, she saw a frightening sight. Something that looked like a large dog streaked in front of her. However, she knew instinctively that it wasn’t a dog. The creature’s rear legs were longer than its front ones. It was a blackish grey, and had hairless skin, not unlike that of a bat. Huge fangs protruded from its bottom jaw. It looked at her and a cold chill went down her back. Then the beast turned and ran into the brush.

That night, one of her kittens disappeared. Several other kittens disappeared over the next few weeks. After her first sighting of the unknown animal, she spotted it several other times stalking around her farm.

Then she began finding the chickens, drained of blood, left in her yard. The most unnerving moment was when she went outside one morning and found a dead chicken lying on her porch. The head had been removed and all the blood was gone from the bird. Not only that, but there was not a drop of blood on the porch beneath or around the chicken!

Then, one hot night last July, she got a call from a neighbor. He was driving on Buenger Road, just a few miles from Canion’s ranch, when he hit something, he said. It was an animal that looked like nothing else he had ever seen, and he suspected it was the same animal that she had described to several neighbors and friends.

Canion drove out to the site, got the animal and brought it back to her home. Then she called Texas Wildlife, who took the carcass to Texas A & M for further investigation, including DNA testing.

This is not the first time such an animal has been seen in Texas. Two others were seen near San Antonio (100 miles northwest of Cuero). Others have been found in Turner, Maine; Coleman, Texas; Central and South America and other parts of southwestern North America.

Some experts have identified the animal as a coyote with the mange, a dog, a fox, an unknown hybrid, or a totally unknown and undiscovered animal.

The animal that Canion discovered is said to be a fox, but the head and body are much larger than any fox on record. What some observers see as interesting is that although all the animals found have been identified as different members of the canid family, all are basically the same size and look exactly alike.

And although there are no recorded events of these animals attacking humans, they have been known to have attacked and killed animals as large as sheep and goats, which can grow to over 100 pounds.

If you see one of these chupacabras, contact local wildlife enforcement, police or agricultural agency. Do not attempt to capture the beast or follow it. If you encounter it at night, get to safety as quickly as possible.