Chupacabra? Texas zoo authorities seek community help in identifying 'strange' creature captured on camera
Jun 15, 2022
Texas [US], June 15 : A mysterious figure in seemingly shaggy form was caught on security cameras in Amarillo zoo in Texas, making the city ask for help identifying a creature.
The video provided by the zoo's security camera went viral after it tweeted for help in identifying the figure.
Last week, the city of Amarillo released an image showing a seemingly shaggy form lurking in the dark outside the Amarillo Zoo's perimeter fence.
A motion-activated camera alerted zoo officials after the photo was taken at 1:25 am on May 21.
"The Amarillo Zoo captured a strange image outside the zoo in the dark and early morning hours of May 21 (around 1:25 a.m.). Is it a person with a strange hat who likes to walk at night? A chupacabra? Do you have any ideas of what this UAO- Unidentified Amarillo Object could be?" CityofAmarillo tweeted on June 9.
Chupacabra, in Latin American popular legend, is a monstrous creature that attacks animals and consumes their blood. The name is derived from the Spanish words chupar ("to suck") and cabra ("goat") and can be translated as "goat-sucker."
The silhouette of the object is unrecognizable, though what appears to be two long legs seem to support it from underneath.
"Was it a person with a strange hat who likes to walk at night? A large coyote on its hind legs? A Chupacabra? It is a mystery - for Amarillo to help solve," the government said in a light-hearted statement, according to Fox News.
Chupacabras were first reported in 1995, in Puerto Rico, where they were blamed for attacks on goats, sheep, and other domestic animals, supposedly leaving uneaten carcasses that were drained of blood. Early reports described them as a creature that stood upright and resembled a large reptilian kangaroo.
The clip captured by the camera has sparked a fierce online debate.
The strange, silly, and serious theories range from bigfoot, Sonic the Hedgehog to a jumping coyote.
After Amarillo zoo's clips went viral, San Antonio Zoo in Texas released footage of a mysterious figure and sought the public's help in identifying the strange creature.
"A mysterious figure has been spotted wandering Brackenridge Park on zoo security cameras. We are seeking the public's help in identifying this strange creature," the zoo's official Instagram page read. 
Thousands of people have weighed in on social media.
