El Chupacabras, a Modern Mystery | Monstrum

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: ↓ More info below ↓ Don’t miss future episodes of Monstrum, subscribe! Did you know there are two different types of chupacabras? Or that these bloodsucking monsters only starting popping up 25 years ago? Sightings of el chupacabras, the “goatsucker,” began in Puerto Rico in 1994 for a very real reason—the unexplained deaths of many farm animals. Dr. Zarka looks at why humans are afraid of a creature that doesn’t real prey on humans, and traces the journey of the chupacabras from island monster to popular folk legend. #chupacabras #goatsucker #MonstrumPBS Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka Director: David Schulte Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Producer: Stephanie Noone Illustrator: Samuel Allen Editor: Sara Roma Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. Follow us on Instagram: ----------- BIBLIOGRAPHY: Derby, Lauren. “Imperial Secrets: Vampires and Nationhood in Puerto Rico.” Past & Present, Vol. 199, Issue 3. January 2008: 290-312. Forsyth, Michael. “Blood-sucking dinosaur goes on killing spree!” Weekly World News, Feb. 6 1996. Gabbatiss, Josh. “The truth about a strange blood-sucking monster.” BBC, Nov. 10, 2016. Navarro, Mireya.“Animals Killed, An Island is Abuzz,” The New York Times. Jan. 26, 1996 Román, Reinaldo L.. Governing Spirits: Religion, Miracles, and Spectacles in Cuba and Puerto Rico, 1898-1956. University of North Carolina Press, 2007. Ross, Karl. “Mystery Creature Ravages Puerto Rican Livestock.” The Washington Post, Dec. 26, 1995.