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Cachi: Surprising eyewitness accounts

THREE EXSANGUINATED GOATS AT THE FOOT OF EL NEVADO
Veterinarian does not know what the event can be ascribed to; Sheriff believes in puma attack

Juan Antonio Abarzúa
El Tribuno

The discovery of three large dead and completely exsanguinated goats, with their flesh intact and completely black, has caused concern among the residents of Fuerte Alto, located some three kilometers west of this Chalquian locale, on the slopes of the towering Nevado de Cachi.

The find, which rekindles the "Chupacabras" myth, took place on Wednesday at first ligth by Maria Laura Liendro, the animals' owner. One of her nephews had told her that the night before [the goats] had been attacked "by a strange being some 80 cm. tall, with a short tail and dense fur."

The woman notified the police immediately, and a swift investigation began. "We are certain that there is no need to attribute this event to strange matters. All of the signs point to the animals having been attacked by one or more pumas, something which is quite common in the area, " said Tomas Oscar Lopez, the local sheriff, to El Tribuno reporters, calling the case closed.

However, his conclusions were rebutted by veterinarian Carlos Arjona, who also visited Fuerte Alto to check the animals. "This is evidently not the work of a feline. I don't know what could have caused the goats' deaths, but I can say that I do not agree with the police estimations. I inspected three carcasses and found strange things. In two of the carcasses I was able to see puncture marks that pierced the animals' jugulars. They appeared to have been made with very sharp and large canines, to judge by the depth they achieved," indicated the professional. "The other carcass showed signs of similar lesions, but in the sternum, evidently made when the animals were alive. Likewsie, there were the marks of two exceedingly long, sharp canines," explained Arjona.

The veterinarian pointed out two extraordinary findings from his analysis: "The animals' flesh had turned completely black and did not have a single drop of blood."

Meanwhile, the animals' owner and other local residents have chosen to take their animals to other areas in order to keep attacks on their flocks to become severe, especially when the eyewitness accounts are so startling.