Case file · Cryptid
Chupacabras of Calama
From April to June 2000, around a hundred farm animals near Calama in Chile's Atacama were found dead and apparently drained of blood, and the 'chupacabras' became a national obsession.
2000 CE · -22.46, -68.92 · status: explained
The account
Goats, rabbits and poultry were found with puncture wounds; reports spread south to Concepción and other regions. Rumours claimed that the army, or NASA, had captured a family of creatures near the Chuquicamata mine. The wave was one of the largest chupacabras scares outside Puerto Rico and Mexico.
The sceptical view
Veterinary examinations of animals attributed to the chupacabras found no evidence of total blood loss; the wounds matched dog bites. Calama officials blamed packs of feral dogs, which are common in the area.