Even though some sightings date back to the
1970s, El Chupacabra - "the goat sucker" -
is primarily a phenomenon of the 1990s, and
its fame has largely been spread by the
Internet. The sightings started in earnest in
1995 with reports coming out of Puerto Rico
of a strange creature that was killing
farmers' livestock - chickens, ducks, turkeys,
rabbits and, of course, goats - sometimes
hundreds of animals in one evening. The
farmers, who were familiar with the killing
practices of wild dogs and other predators,
claimed that the methods of this unknown
beast were different. It didn't try to eat the
animals it killed, for example; nor did it drag
them away to be devoured elsewhere.
Instead, the creature killed by draining its
victims of blood, usually through small
incisions.
