Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore

by Benjamin Radford

Overview

Among the monsters said to roam the world’s jungles and desolate deserts, none is more feared than the chupacabra—-the blood-sucking beast blamed for the mysterious deaths of thousands of animals since the 1990s. To some it is a joke; to many it is a very real threat and even a harbinger of the apocalypse. Originating in Latin America yet known worldwide, the chupacabra is a contradictory and bizarre blend of vampire and shapeshifter, changing its appearance and characteristics depending on when and where it is seen. Rooted in conspiracy theory and anti-American sentiment, the beast is said to be the result of Frankenstein-like secret U.S. government experiments in the Puerto Rican jungles.

Combining five years of careful investigation (including information from eyewitness accounts, field research, and forensic analysis) with a close study of the creature’s cultural and folkloric significance, Radford’s book is the first to fully explore and try to solve the decades-old mystery of the chupacabra.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826350169
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	03/15/2011
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Benjamin Radford is managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and a Research Fellow with the nonprofit educational organization the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. The author of five books and hundreds of articles, he is a regular columnist for Discovery News and LiveScience.com. He lives in Corrales, New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xiii

Part I The Short History of the Chupacabra

Chapter 1 The Goatsucker Mystery 3

Part II Folklore of the Chupacabra

Chapter 2 A Brief History of Vampires 23

Chapter 3 Chupacabras in Popular Culture 39

Part III Search for the Chupacabra

Chapter 4 Searching for Chupacabras in Nicaragua 59

Chapter 5 The Dead Vampires Speak: Chupacabra Carcasses 75

Chapter 6 The Curious Case of the Cuero Chupacabra 99

Part IV Solving the Mystery of the Chupacabra

Chapter 7 Reconsidering the Goatsucker 119

Chapter 8 The Zoology of Chupacabras and the Science of Vampires 145

Appendix 1 Comparison of Ten Notable Chupacabra Reports, 1995-2010 179

Appendix 2 How to Identify a Chupacabra 181

Appendix 3 2010 Interview with Madelyne Tolentino 183

Notes 185

References Cited 191

Index 199

Editorial Reviews

"It's a chaotic, weird ride from beginning to end. . . . Tracking the Chupacabra is a fantastic book."—Kendra Reed, AIPT

From the Publisher

First reported in Puerto Rico in 1995, the chupacabra is a mysterious creature thought responsible for the blood-draining deaths of thousands of barnyard animals from South America to Texas. The chupacabra's flourishing reputation as a vampyric killer and possible escaped mutant from secret governmental genetic experimentation creates a colorful beastie equal in popularity to Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster for a predominantly Latin community. Enter Radford (Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures), managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer and author of several myth-busting books, who spent five years hunting down and examining evidence of the chupacabra's existence. Radford is thorough in his investigation; interviewing eyewitnesses, providing creepy photographs of otherworldly creatures, serving up DNA analysis, and contemplating theories of mass psychosis. VERDICT While not for the sparkling vampire set, this objective probe will appeal to readers interested in exploring and exploding modern mysteries. However, the author's own dedication, "to those to whom the truth matters," may just be a first-page spoiler.—Janet Tapper, Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR

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