Texas 'Chupacabra' Put Down

The story of the chupacabra allegedly discovered in Ratcliffe, TX has taken a sad turn.

The creature, thought by some to be a mythical blood-sucker, has been euthanized, according to KABC-TV. The animal was caged in the backyard of the family who discovered it. They claimed it was suffering and decided to put it to sleep at a local animal shelter.

The name of the shelter has not been released, due to the number of threats they’ve received.

Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and author of six books including Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore, told Fusion last week that the animal was likely a weird looking dog or raccoon with a skin disease. The Dewitt County game warden, who had the opportunity to see the animal in the flesh, agreed with this conclusion.

Radford told Fusion, “For some people who really want to believe, the existence of the chupacabra will never be disproved. It will always be a mystery animal.”

Alexandra DiPalma is a producer for Fusion Lightworks, Fusion’s In-house Branded Content Agency.