14 DAY TRIAL // A south Texas family claim they shot and killed a chupacabra after the legendary creature had entered their property over the weekend.
On Sunday night, Doug and Lucy Ohrt were at their Victoria County property when they heard an unusual howl outside. The couple claim their grandson shot a chupacabra, the mythical animal that is believed to suck blood from live-stock across America.
“My grandson ran and got the gun and shot it at 240 yards, and my grandkids said, ‘Oh that's a chupacabra,’” Doug Ohrt said, as reported by The Independent.
The chupacabra is an animal said to be unknown to science and frequently killing animals in places like Puerto Rico, Miami, Nicaragua, Chile, and Mexico. The name comes from the animal's alleged habit of drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. Actually, the creature's name translates to “goat sucker.”
The chupacabra is said to closely resemble a coyote, but with a skinny, hairless body and patches of mangy hair.
The members of the family strongly affirm they have often been hearing long chilling howls at night time during the past year.
However, the experts do not necessarily agree with the family on the creature's nature. They don't actually believe it's a chupacabra.
“They’re a mythical creature that most people see, but what it really is sarcoptic mange, which is caused by a mite that bites the animal and it can be on any mammal dogs ,cats, coyotes, foxes and humans can get another version of it as well,” stated Josh Turner, a Texas Fish and Wildlife biologist.
The first sightings of the strange cryptid were reported in Puerto Rico as early as 1995. Some people even claimed they spotted the strange animal outside the Americas in countries like Russia and The Philippines.
There have been more than 2,000 reported cases of animal mutilations in Puerto Rico attributed to the chupacabra. However, many of the reports about the legendary creature have been disregarded as unverified or lacking evidence.
The most common description of the chupacabra is that of a creature similar to a reptile, with scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines down its back. Another description less common says the animal is a strange breed of wild dog, hairless and with pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws.
Experts who have analyzed the alleged chupacabra sightings or findings agree that the creatures are quite terrestrial canines, often coyotes, who suffer from mange.