Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore
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.
1118971864
Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore
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.
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Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore

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

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

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

by Benjamin Radford

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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

About The Author
Benjamin Radford is a writer, investigator, and columnist for Discovery News. He is the author of eight books, most recently Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment and Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore, both published by the University of New Mexico Press. Radford 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

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