Chupacabra, Juvenile Big Foot Among Most Viewed Net Pages
November 5, 2007
Belief in unexplained phenomena at all time high
Don’t believe in ghosts? What about unexplained phenomena, i.e. mythical sea monsters, ape men, dog-like bloodsucking creatures, aliens, and the rest? If so, you’re not alone, because more people than ever believe in unexplained or paranormal phenomenon, and according to a recent poll, over 70% of those surveyed claim to have had a paranormal experience or two of their own.
Consider the recent experience of Phyllis Canion, who this past summer found three mysterious dead animals just outside of her Cuero, Texas Ranch. The animals were dog like in appearance, with the large, prominent ears of a coyote, but hairless and smaller. Canion, who saved the head of one of the animals for later testing, and her discovery, which came to be known as the Cuero Chupacabra, generated much publicity for the small town of Cuero, including a much viewed Wikipedia entry, and many tourist-themed t-shirts, made and sold by Canion.
Canion’s Chupacabra was revealed Friday to be a coyote, based on DNA testing performed by Texas State University, although further testing is expected to be done in order to explain the animal’s hairless condition.
“The DNA sequence is a virtually identical match to the DNA from the coyote,” biologist Mike Forstner said in a statement to the Associated Press. “This is probably the answer a lot of folks thought might be the outcome. I, myself, really thought it was a domestic dog, but the Cuero Chupacabra is a Texas Coyote. ”
Chupacabra, which means “goat sucker” in Spanish, is a legendary creature that is said to have originated in Mexico and Puerto Rico.
As if the Cuero Chupacabra wasn’t generating enough publicity, and page views, there has also been a report of a sighting, and possible film footage, of a juvenile Bigfoot, or Sasquatch.
According to Rick Jacobs, the pictures he snapped from an automatic trigger camera, mounted to a tree in the Allegheny National Forest, are evidence of unexplained phenomena.
“We couldn’t figure out what they were,” said Jacobs of the images that were captured on Sept. 16. “I’ve been hunting for years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
The animal has the appearance of a very hairy, long limbed primate, and has people all over the world speculating as to its family, genus, and species.
Paul Majeta of the Bigfoot Research Association, which Jacobs contacted in September, told the Associated Press that “It appears to be a primate like animal. In my opinion, it appears to be a juvenile Sasquatch.”
Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser disagrees, however, telling the AP that he and other conservation officers trap bears that look like the animal depicted in the photos on a regular basis.
“There is no question that it is a bear with a severe case of mange,” Feaser said.