- BARCELONETA - A startling
case has maintained an atmosphere of fear, doubt and wonderment in Barceloneta's
Barrio Garrochales and the Pozo Gratis sector.
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- According to eyewitness accounts and a direct visit made
by this photojournalist, the case merits an official visit and investigation
by functionaries from the Department of Natural Resources.
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- Luis Pérez, a local resident, witnessed the manner
in which a very strange bird swallowed and regurgitated several of his
chickens. The capture of such a bird ought to represent a priority for
the Natural Resources department, but such an event had not yet occured
as to the close of EL EXPRESSO's weekly edition.
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- The bird which has spread fear among residents of several
Barceloneta communities measures approximately 30 inches in length and
12" in height, and has a long, thick neck. Its beak measures approximately
four inches and is of a strong texture. Its plumage is grey, black and
white, has no claws, but with feet similar to those of a chicken. It's
legs are similar to those of a cat, and it feeds on blood.
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- Pérez states that his nephew Emiliano Machado
Pérez and other neighbors took upon themselves the task of monitoring
the pen in which the fighting roosters were kept due to the fact that chickens
appeared to be missing every day. Last week, in early morning hours, while
they nervously guarded their premises, they managed to see the strange
bird and were able to see it swallowing some of the chickens alive--feathers
and all.
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- A Sort of Chupacabras?
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- The locals state that they were stunned when ten minutes
after swallowing them, the bird regurgitated them as a chewed up, featherless
and bloodless mass.
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- Despite their fear, they decided to capture the odd bird.
It was thus that on the following morning they armed themseves with courage
and one of the residents caught the predator by the neck and locked it
in a common cage. A neighbor phoned this reporter for EL EXPRESO and the
phenomenon was confirmed on site.
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- Photos were taken and we recorded the story told by Don
Luis and his neighbors. Another peculiar detail is that the strange creature
appears to have a tail that prodtrudes from its head and measures approximately
eight inches.
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- Given the bird's strange and unique nature, this author
consulted the book Birds of Puerto Rico, written by Herbert Raffaele of
Princeton University, 1989 edition, and this bird is not featured among
the native species. It resembles the bird known as the Booby, but its tail
feathers are different.
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- Nor is it a barn owl, nor a "gallareta" nor
a chickenhawk. It resembles the Royal Yaboa at best, but there are differences,
according to the author of the reference work in question..
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- Hundreds of curiosity-seekers visited the area, including
some bird hunters. At the time of this writing it is not known if Natural
Resources has taken an interest in the matter in order to decide the final
destination of this strange creature which has kept residents of Barceloneta
on tenterhooks.
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- Translation (C) 2001 S.Corrales, Institute of Hispanic
Ufology Special thanks to Orlando Pla and Lucy Guzman
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