Chupacabra fever hit south Texas in July of last year when rancher Phylis Canion discovered a dead creature near her property in Cuero, Texas, about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio. The beast, one of three that had been accidentally killed my motorists in two days, had large ears, a long snout, fangs and bluish-gray, nearless hairless skin.
Last Friday, the mystery got a fresh shot in the arm when two sheriff's deputies caught a creature on their dash cam that looked very much like last year's catch, again near Cuero. (Video below.)
People believe the animals in question may be proof of the legendary "goat suckers" that have terrorized the Southwest for generations, draining the blood from livestock and leaving their carcasses devoid of fluid.
DNA tests performed on the beast found in 2007 revealed that the animal was probably just an old coyote, likely suffering from some sort of skin disease. Of course, not everyone was convinced. The results also didn't stop Canion from selling nearly 20,000 T-shirts and establishing Cuero as a chupacabra hotspot.
The new video also casts doubt on the results, as the creature caught on tape looks very much like the one before. Shot from behind, it almost appears to be an ordinary dog, but when it turns to the side, it reveals an unusually large and bizarrely shaped head, which looks oddly like that of a donkey.
Officials are loath to make any conclusions, but the national attention once again has cryptozoologists abuzz with theories. As for myself, I figure (a) we've got a chupacabra-population explosion on our hands, (b) law enforcement has discovered a hydrocephalic hound or (c) everyone should be on the lookout for a randy jackass trawling the local kennels for some strange.
For more information on the legend of the chupacabra, see Weird Texas (pp. 108-109) and Weird Arizona (p. 83).