Profiling the Chupacabra

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Nick Redfern, author of the new Chupacabra Road Trip.

Is the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico home to deadly, blood-sucking vampires? As in, real vampires? Those are the controversial questions I have pondered on deeply for more than a decade. Since 2004, I have regularly traveled to Puerto Rico in search of its legendary, resident monster. It goes by the name of the chupacabra. In doing so, I have come to the startling realization that whatever the chupacabra is, it’s no myth. It’s all too real.

It was back in 1995 that the phenomenon of the chupacabra exploded all across Puerto Rico and plunged its people into states of fear and dread. It’s hardly surprising, since the chupacabra is described as a vicious, fanged, clawed—and maybe even winged—monster that is rumored to suck the blood out of farm animals, such as goats and chickens. As for the infamous name the creature has acquired, it’s a very appropriate Spanish term that translates into English as “goat-sucker.”

Sorting out the fact from the fiction, and the rumor from the legend, has proven to be a challenge. But, I’m someone who is always up for a challenge, and the prospect of uncovering a nightmarish beast in the depths of Puerto Rico’s El Yunque rainforest is something that I have never shied away from. In fact, the exact opposite.

I have spoken with veterinarians, police-officers, farmers, and member of the public who are all convinced the chupacabra lives. And violently kills, too. I’ve heard stories that the beast has extraterrestrial origins: a lethal alien. Might the monster be the result of secret, genetic experiments undertaken by the military? Some are absolutely sure that’s what is afoot. Or, could it be a supernatural creature? More than a few say, “Yes!”

But, there are other, equally dangerous, things on Puerto Rico. During the course of my creature-seeking, I have crossed paths with gun-toting drug gangs and potentially rabid bats. Such are the hazards that go hand in hand with monsters! As for where things are today, well, my decade-plus of investigations prompted me to write my new book, Chupacabra Road Trip. It tells the weird, near-surreal, and adventurous story of what happens when one man makes it his business to track down the truth of one our world’s most famous monsters…

Our thanks to Nick for his guest post! For more from Nick Redfern, read his article, “Three Theories to Explain the Chupacabra.”