Oh no, another llama-killer

I admit that I've never been particularly excited by the Chupacabra. My brain can only take in so many fringey mysteries at any one time. Or maybe I just prefer my paranormal creatures big, furry and brown? The Chupacabra, by contrast, is supposed to be a two-legged creature with an enormous proboscis and a penchant for attacking pets and livestock, draining the victims' blood but leaving the carcass otherwise undisturbed. And yes, they attack llamas! Somehow, this demonic angle doesn't appeal to me. Don't we have enough problems already?

Still, this episode of "Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit" could be of some interest, if you can stomach the silly antics of the so-called Mission Controller, Bill Kerr. The episode shows how American UFO mythology has spread all the way to Chile, where it has blended with the local monster lore. Or maybe not so local, since the Chupacabra is supposed to be a Puerto Rican urban legend of relatively recent vintage (circa 1995). Cultural influence travels fast these days.

All the usual ingredients of the UFO saga are present in the Chilean cases investigated by the Natural Mystery Unit: cattle mutilations, telepathic contact, strange lights in the sky, Men in Black harassing witnesses, and even NASA-FBI personnel involved in some kind of cover up (there is a NASA facility in the Atacama Desert). There is also a frivolous UFO investigator whose "Chupacabra tracks" turn out to be dog prints! The main difference with classical North American cases is the monster itself, which seems strangely out of place in the familiar ufological surroundings. An ambivalent daimon if I ever saw one...

I think it's about time the denizens of the netherworld come up with something better than this, LOL. And leave the llamas alone or else I'll tell my Bigfoot to jump you!

I'm not sure how to rate this show, but as cultural studies, I suppose I could give it three.