Check this out...
This is from an article on ParanormalNews.com. The full thing can be found here:
http://www.paranormalnews.com/article.asp?ArticleID=612
SANTIAGO DE CHILE (EFE) -- A bizarre animal caught in a small community of southern Chile was immediately associated by local residents with the enigmatic "Chupacabras", since dozens of birds who died by exsanguination were found in that area some time ago.
According to police reports, the black, catlike animal -- showing considerable differences in its ears and hind legs -- was captured by residents of the Pinchulao settlement in the commune of Lautaro, 690 km. south of Santiago.
The "Prensa Austral" newspaper from Temuco, a town adjacent to Lautaro, specified that the strange beast was caught in the process of exsanguinating a hen.
The animal will be examined by local veterinarians and analyzed to determine the species it belongs to.
Every so often, the legendary "Chupacabras" becomes a news item in Chile. It is accused of slaying and sucking dry goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens and other animals, although its existence has never been verified.
In late May 2000, residents of the northern city of Calama and nearby communities blamed the U.S. space agency, NASA, for the Chupacabras’s manifestations and attacks. In that year, the predator’s inroads caused havoc among the area’s farm animals as well as in other parts of Chile. At the time, resdents of [Calama], located 1584 km north of Santiago, claimed that U.S. scientists were in the area and "lost control of at least three genetic experiments", only managing to recover two of them.
UPDATE! --STRANGE ANIMAL MYSTERY CONTINUES
The article published yesterday by this news organ elicited a variety of responses in regard to the capture of a strange animal in a rural sector of the Lautaro commune. The animal--found by a local resident--was caught in the act of sucking blood from a chicken’s neck. The specimen is in the possession of Ricardo Candia, officer in charge of the local TV station (USTV) in the city of Toquí, who had the creature embalmed in order to preserve it.
The mystery still continues for this professor and self-taught researcher. "No one has been able to tell me what it is. I’m hoping that some specialist may clarify the mystery surrounding its capture."
It is worth noting that the animal--measuring some 30 cm long -- was captured by residents of the Pinchulao settlement, property of Prof. Luis Méndez, in the Rinconada sector, some 19 km from Lautaro.
Around 20:00 hrs last Wednesday, Samuel Cayumán was inside his dwelling in the company of his wife when both heard a strange sound coming from the henhouse, located only a few meters from their home. Concerned for his poultry, the worker went outside and headed toward the structure to take a look. He removed his keys and unlocked the door to enter a space fenced by barbed wire, but the darkness kept him from seeing anything strange going on within.
He suddenly seized one of the hens. Upon taking it outside for a better look, he noticed that a dark and hairy animal was dangling from its neck. He immediately let go of the bird and gripped the strange being that had already drained all of the hen’s blood. Cayumán separated it and killed it.
UPDATE! -- IS CHILEAN CHUPACBRAS A YAGUARUNDI?
** Animal similar to the Yaguarundi was caught in an area in which dozens of birds lost lives**
The strange legend of the "Chupacabras" is not discarded: the animal found yesterday is quite similar to a cat, or more precisely, the Yaguarundi of the Chaco region. It was immediately associated with the "Chupacabras" by the locals, since some time ago dozens of birds died from exsanguination in that region.
According to the police report, the black-furred animal resembling a cat, but with notable differences in its ears and hind legs, was captured by leaseholders of the Pinchulao settlement in the commune of Lautaro, 690 km south of Santiago.
[...]
The creature appears to be a wild cat. However, it continues to inspire songs and magazine features. Throughout its existence it has fed the fires of popular culture and speculation. Like the Loch ness monster, it has been named in the tales of various countries and cultures.
Other creatures are described as half-man/half-animal, while others seemed to be predecessors of the Chupacabras, the Yeti’s tropical kinsman (sic). These beings were never given a name, although the propular press dubbed them "Cangodrilos".
Translation (C) 2003. Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU). Special thanks to Guillermo Giménez, PlanetaUFO.
Seriously though this creature must possess very long, strong fangs, although we are assuming here that the puncture wounds were made by a bite. The triangular pattern may have been made by an implement of some kind, in which case was it a chupacabra?
