Numerous sightings in South-Central Texas...
  Story of Legendary Chupacabra Lingers On
   By Murray Montgomery
   
    It seems as if the story of the legendary chupacabra isn’t going to go away anytime soon.

  Although some people question the sightings of the creature, perhaps we should pay more attention to what witnesses have actually seen before we totally disregard their stories. This animal may not be a chupacabra, but it could be a species of something never seen before – and it’s quite possible that they are growing in number.

   From the time Cuero (Texas) resident Phylis Canion found a carcass of the dog-like animal on her place about a year ago, sightings continue to be reported. Canion had DNA tests run on the beast and the results indicated it was a cross between a coyote and Mexican wolf.

There have been a number of encounters with the varmint over the past year. Back in April, Jimmy Appelt, a staff writer for the Hallettsville Tribune-Herald, wrote about an encounter with a similar animal in Lavaca County. Harvey and Cheryl Pavliska, of Wied (Texas), had a close encounter with what they thought might be a chupacabra. Harvey shot the animal that he thought at first might be a sick dog, but after a closer look it didn’t seem to be an ordinary dog. Was it a chupacabra or just a mangy coyote?

In the early part of July, a man killed a similar creature that was chasing deer on his place near Mission Valley. Another was killed in Goliad County after the landowner found it preying on a nest of ducks.

  One news report tells of a lady living near La Bahia. She described the thing as making a sound much like a woman crying.

  But of all the sightings, the one most compelling to me was the incident in DeWitt County where two sheriff’s deputies actually caught the animal on video. After seeing that tape, I am of the opinion that this is something totally different from a fox, wolf, or coyote. Is it a cross breed of several different species? That would certainly be my guess.

  The description of the creature is nearly always the same. Little or no hair, short front legs, long heads, gray in color, and several fanged teeth. The one in Mission Valley is said to have had more than four fanged teeth.

Phylis Canion says they are hairless, have blue eyes, and leave their prey completely void of blood. She has found a second carcass since July 2007.

One thing for sure, the chupacabra sightings are bringing a lot of attention to these parts. CNN and Fox News contacted DeWitt County Sheriff Jode Zavesky after he released the video to the media.

Cuero’s Phylis Canion appeared on the History Channel’s Monster Quest program and she is the self-proclaimed “Chupacabra Lady.” Her story was also featured on Fox News in September of last year.

According to an article on the Associated Content (AC) website, the mythical animal can also be a creature of profit. They report that Canion opened a t-shirt business and her “Cuero Chupacabra” has sold 10,000 t-shirts throughout the U.S. and in 21 foreign countries.

The AC article goes on to say that Canion isn’t the only one marketing the chupacabra. Café Press is selling bibs, thongs, boxers, t-shirts, golf-shirts, sweatshirts, teddy bears, and coffee mugs with the chupacabra logo on them. The Café Press logo depicts a monster standing upright with fangs and spikes.

It’s quite possible that the legend of this mangy beast, whatever it is, could bring some tourism dollars to our neck of the woods. Hmm, how about the "Chupacabra Bar and Grill?" Kind of has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?