Chupacabra in Texas?

Strange creature on the prowl in East Texas neighborhood

Jun 27, 2010 By Whitney Grunder

 NACOGDOCHES, TX (KTRE) – A strange creature is roaming one East Texas neighborhood.

Some say it's a fox or coyote, others a dog.Others are bit more creative, suggesting it's the legendary Chupacabra, an animal that supposedly sucks the blood of livestock.Fact or fiction, we'll let you be the judge."I'd never seen anything like it before," said Shirley McLain, who lives on Norma Street. "I just thought it was real strange looking, it had features like a dog but if it's a dog I don't know what kind it is."What McLain does know is the animal is more afraid of her than she is of it."I met him in the driveway and when he saw me he ran," said McLain.McLain's daughter in law lives one street over, and took pictures of it in her yard."I just could not pinpoint it. The face of the animal was almost like a deer face," said Diane McLain, who lives on Bostwick Street.While they're not convinced it's a Chupacabra, they're concerned that a sick animal could be prowling they're neighborhood."It's a very strange animal. There's something wrong with its feet, something wrong with its snout and it's got a very odd tail," said Bostwick Street resident David Collins.Mike Nance, a veterinarian at the Ellen Trout Zoo puts legend to rest."This looks like a coyote, a young coyote. You can tell that it has large patches of skin loss," said Nance.He believes the animal's strange appearance means it could carry disease, passing it to domestic pets if it gets close enough to make contact."They usually come out at twilight, so if you see them this time of day and they're sick, that's a scary thing because they can carry rabies," said Nance."The fact that it might have mange bothers me a little bit because I do have pets that are outside and I would just like to protect them," said McLain.No blood sucking Chupacabra here, instead a sick animal, but still some hope the legend can one day be more than just a good story."I wish there was, it would be so cool to see one, especially after years and decades of those who are searching for these animals, they haven't been able to find one yet," said Nance.While you most likely won't be running into any Chupacabras, Nance says neighbors should be on the lookout for this potentially sick fox or coyote.He says if you see it getting close to your home or animals, to contact your Local Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Source:http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=12715553

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