'Chupacabra' Creature Spotted in Texas Backyard, Onlookers Bewildered

Residents in Hill Country Village, Texas believe they are being plagued by a real-life "Chupacabra" – and they have photos to prove it. Tina Kahlig spoke to local reporters from KENS 5, and provided photos of a large four-legged creature that she saw near her home. She said that she did not think it was any ordinary pet or wild animal when she saw it.

Kahlig's photos show a quadrupedal animal with yellowish-brown fur, approximately the size of a large dog. It has pricked ears that stand up and articulate, and a steeply sloped snout. Its tail is long, hanging nearly to the ground behind it. Kahlig said that it came into her yard in Texas and meandered around, even stopping to eat some berries before it ran off into the brush. She said: "I was inside and I looked out into the yard, and I saw an animal right here and I thought, 'Wow, what is that?'"

Mystery 4-legged creature lurking in Texas backyard baffles residents: ‘Chupacabra’ The animal walked into the woman’s backyard, at some berries and left. San Antonio Zoo experts believe the animal may be some kind of dog or coyote. Tina Kahlig took a photo of the animal.🤔 pic.twitter.com/AMzPQJtoUl

— Sumner (@renmusb1) August 23, 2023

Kahlig was baffled but her mind did not jump straight to a paranormal explanation. She said that she posted her photos on social media, asking her neighbors for their guesses at what the animal was. She laughed as she said that their top answer was "Chupacabra." The name refers to a mythical creature common in folklore throughout that part of the country as well as Mexico and Central America.

The most typical urban legends about the Chupacabra describe it as more reptilian than the creature in Kahlig's photos, and with a different body shape as well. Many older legends say that the Chupacabra stands on its hind legs like a kangaroo. It is infamous for stalking farms and ranches at night to kill livestock, but only to drink their blood, not to eat the animals entirely.

Other explanations have been provided by skeptics as well. Kahlig said that "some people think it's a cross between a coyote and a dog," which is at least closer to reality than the legend. Meanwhile, KENS 5 reporters noted that there is a local legend about a mountain lion living in the area, but it has never been reliably documented. Mountain lions are slowly regaining their foothold in the U.S., and according to the Mountain Lion Foundation, Texas is one of the states where they are relatively common. Still, the total population is estimated at only 20,000 to 40,000 in the entire country. After Kahlig's close call, it's hard to say whether a mountain lion would be more or less frightening than the Chupacabra itself.