John Hunter says he noticed the odd-looking animal a couple of weeks ago when it showed up in the driveway of his White Bluff home.
He and his wife tried to get closer to get a better look, but the creature ran off.
Hunter said, "Then it came back, closer to the house. That's when it took off and came back again. Every time it came closer and closer, like it wasn't afraid of me."
Saturday, Hunter took his rifle and shot the animal.
He says he's kept it on ice ever since, until he could figure out its species.
"I thought, 'what is this?'" Hunter said. "It's hairless. It looks like it came from some other place we'd rather not go when we die. It's got a snout. They have longer canine fangs than normal dogs."
After a little research online, Hunter found similar animals in Texas and Puerto Rico that people there were calling "El Chupacabras", a mythical type creature that is of Mexican folklore.
There's quite a bit of debate on whether these animals exist.
"Actually, to be honest, it looks like a great big rat," Hunter said.
There's barely any hair on the body. It weighs around 15 pounds and has a long skinny tail and long legs. The ears stick up off its head, similar to a mule's ears. The hairless body is a shade of blue.
Hunter hopes someone will help him identify the animal he killed.
Steve Patrick of Tennessee Wildlife and Resources Agency looked at several photographs shot by News 2 and believes the animal may be a red fox with sarcoptic mange.
[WKRN.com]
Has there been any determination of what animal this is?
ReplyDelete