Chupacabra or Dog Shot and Killed in Texas

A rancher in Texas has shot and killed an unidentified animal. Some are claiming it is an el Chupacabra. In my opinion it is just a hairless mutt, as someone was quoted speculating in the news article, however it is hard to tell from the pictures. (which is more likely?) meh The more I think about it the more I suspect the San Antonio News is being sensationalistic. However, on the outside chance that this does turn out to be an unknown species, here you are...

Devin first knew something was up when his chickens started disappearing. At one point, 35 were gone in just one day.

Macanally finally shot and killed the creature, and he was blown away at what he saw.

also

People at the San Antonio Zoo say they have not seen anything like it. Terry DeRosa with the zoo says at a feather-light 20 pounds, he thinks it might be a wild mexican dog.

"It may be one of the hairless dogs that perhaps you see in Mexico," he said.

Link

There is also a video to watch at the link provided.

A hairless mutt poor thing...why did he shoot it? If I watch the video..does it show it being killed, I don't want to watch it if it does....sorta looks like a deer to me.

EDIT..never mind..it was eating his chickens.

[edit on 7/28/2004 by LadyV]

No, the video doesnt show the animal being killed, but does have better pictures of it. I am curious as to the rancher stating the animal was eating mulberries. I know dogs will eat grass when they need to throw up, but mulberries?

It looks like its a kin to a Kangaroo, or Roo, to the Ausies

Texas? I thought the Chupacabra only existed in S. America?

Anyway, that looks like a mix between a fawn/dog.

Originally posted by Blackout
Texas? I thought the Chupacabra only existed in S. America?

Anyway, that looks like a mix between a fawn/dog.

Nope chupacabras are like chicken man. They are everywhere. People think they are a recent phenom, but I heard about them in the early sixties.........................on an episode of "Bonanza".

Dog. Definately. That's standard canine anatomy.

And yes, dogs tend to be omnivores. Dogs will eat about anything, including corn (I had a collie that liked corn) and potato chips and so forth. It kind of looks a bit like the other hairless canine that's been running around in Virginia.

I would like to see her turned over to a reputable veternary laboratory for an autopsy and sample collections.

Looks like a skinny feral mutt with mange to me.

Originally posted by William One Sac
I know dogs will eat grass when they need to throw up

Not throw up, just help digest.

Isn't this two possible new species of "something" now found in the what, last 2 months? Pretty cool.

Poor thing..I'm an animal lover. It's getting harder and harder for feral animals to eat with the constant onslaught of humans on all the land... they need to eat too.

Looks like bambi without the white spots.

Mule fawn perhaps.

Can anyone get a high res zoom of the feet?

Looks like a young deer or possibly a kangaroo. Obviously not a predator so anyone claiming it's el chupocabra is, well, wrong.

This is just my opnion but arent the front legs hinged backwards for an animal that walks on all four feet? I cant really tell by the photos and i cant get the video to work so the knees might be correct and its just the way im looking at it.

Also my guess is its a patagonian cavy , which are pretty common place in the animal trade. but then again i cant tell much by the photo

If you check out the story linked in the first post of the thread you'll see a "watch this story" link on the page. That gives you some nice video of it.

I don't have a way to capture the vid or images from it, but they show several close up pictures. It does have canines - so I guess that can rule out a deer or a roo. Those ear's look a little rounded for most dog's. Kinda like an african wild dog's ears but smaller. Still, it seems to look closer to a dog than anything.

that thing doesn't fit the descriptions of the chupacabra

it does have deer-like qualities, perhaps a dog and deer met somewhere in the woods a while ago?

Originally posted by William One Sac


A rancher in Texas has shot and killed an unidentified animal. Some are claiming it is an el Chupacabra. In my opinion it is just a hairless mutt, as someone was quoted speculating in the news article, however it is hard to tell from the pictures. (which is more likely?) meh The more I think about it the more I suspect the San Antonio News is being sensationalistic. However, on the outside chance that this does turn out to be an unknown species, here you are...

Devin first knew something was up when his chickens started disappearing. At one point, 35 were gone in just one day.

Macanally finally shot and killed the creature, and he was blown away at what he saw.

also

People at the San Antonio Zoo say they have not seen anything like it. Terry DeRosa with the zoo says at a feather-light 20 pounds, he thinks it might be a wild mexican dog.

"It may be one of the hairless dogs that perhaps you see in Mexico," he said.

Link

There is also a video to watch at the link provided.

Chupacara, big foot, Nessie, etc. do not exist. Basic biology and genetics rule them out. This is a red Deer fawn, perhaps 7 months old. Most likely female.

drbil - check out the vid at the link in the story. It has a canine-like fang sticking out of its mouth. That rules out deer. Lots of good, close up pics of it in the vid.

I wish they were going to autopsy the creature, but I dont think they will. This article requires a subscription so I will quote the relevant parts..

Wildlife biologist Brian Mesenbrink, with the San Antonio office of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, saw the pictures and declared it was a coyote with mange.

Mesenbrink said the Elmendorf area has a heavy concentration of coyotes.

"The mange is caused by parasites that infest the skin of the coyote and end up killing it," he said. "I know the Elmendorf area has a lot of coyotes and I am pretty sure that's what it is."

and

"I don't believe that it's a coyote," Mcanally said. "The creature had fangs protruding outside the upper jaw unlike any coyote."

He added that the creature's ears resembled those of a desert rat and it had the muzzle of a rat.

He encountered the doglike creature with bluish skin during the day.

He's hoping for a more thorough investigation, since his chickens have stopped disappearing.

My San Antonio.com

I live in Greensboro NC in the US and about a month ago someone got some piuctures that looked kind of like that thing prowling around in their yard. Zoological people were stumped, like in this story. Same thing, a bunch of random thoeories from hairless dogs to foxes to losses exotic pets.

Originally posted by Frogs
drbil - check out the vid at the link in the story. It has a canine-like fang sticking out of its mouth. That rules out deer. Lots of good, close up pics of it in the vid.

When I worked for RAND we saw video's of a "creature" that was "found" near an "alien crash site." Not a "alien" but perhaps it's "pet."

State biologists did not know what it was, and so some of the research folks got to play around with the carcass.

It turned out to be a cat that had been "manipulated" to appear as something otherworldy. After that event, I do not take anyone's opinions as facts. It is amazing the lengths that some will go to to get into a newspaper.

As I said, EX-creatures, at least the ones proclaimed to be around us, don't exist. If they did? Someone would be wealthy for having captured/shot one.