Chupacabra, Dog or Fox? Mystery Animal Found in Maryland
Published August 17, 2011
Fox with cub: Getty
Maryland's chupacabra could be a hairless fox.
A mystery animal—dubbed chupacabra after a legendary, blood-sucking creature said to inhabit Mexico, Puerto Rico and some parts of the United States—was trapped last week by workers at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Maryland.
Described as a cross between a kangaroo, a rat, and a dog, this "chupacabra," was first spotted by hospital employees taking a cigarette break near a wooded area, according to NBC news.
Curious about the shy, hairless creature, the workers lured the "chupacabra" into a cage with leftover Chinese food.
The legend of the chupacabra is fairly recent. It started in 1995 after eight sheep were discovered dead in Puerto Rico, each with three puncture wounds and completely drained of blood.
Since then, chupacabra stories have been plentiful and varied.
So is the little animal at Prince George Hospital a bloodsucker? Probably not. NBC's Benjamin Radford, author of "Tracking the Chupacabra," suspects the creature, nicknamed Prince Chupa, is a fox—missing his fur due to mange.
Let's hope he's right, since hospital workers set Prince Chupa free soon after shooting this video.
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Comments (16)
My first thought would be to take it to the animal shelter where, experts could treat the FOX and THEN release it back into the wild. Chupacabra? Morons.
Did they at least treat the animal for mange? Was he dewormed? Did they do anythng to help it? Of course you know that animal won't survive the winter without it's fur, right?