London, Jul 29 (IANS): A "supernatural, blood-sucking beast" is out in the wild and is attacking livestock in many countries, farmers across the world claim.
Disturbed farmers in Russia's third largest city of Novosibirsk in Siberia region have asked priests to bless their flocks because they fear the beast was behind a series of brutal attacks, The Sun reported.
Villagers say the "El Chupacabra" beast does not eat the corpses of the animals it kills -- it just drinks their blood.
They say puncture marks are seen on the necks of the dead animals - that has led to the name "vampire dog".
Local resident Viktor Shushpanov said: "It comes from the devil and I've seen it."
"The police won't act. They're worried that if they write down 'vampire' or 'chupacabra' on a report they will look like cranks but we know what we've seen."
"There have been dozens of corpses," he said.
Nearby Krasnoginnoe, Tolmachevskoye and Chick villages have also been affected.
"It's come from the devil. I've seen it. My brother, even when he lived near St Petersburg seven years ago accidently photographed a chupacabra," said Shushpanov.
"He took the usual family picture and then saw the demonic face through the kitchen window. Grey-red it was, such an unpleasant face, like a bat with fangs," he said.
"My brother showed me this photograph and upon the advice of his family he burned it."
The legend of the chupacabra - derived from the Spanish word for "goat sucker" - began in Puerto Rico in 1995 when blood-drained goats started appearing.
A newspaper reported a description of a creature standing on its hind legs up to five feet tall with spikes down its back and having long, thin arms.
Many people who claim to have seen the beast also say it looks similar to a small bear with spines.
Sightings of similar creatures have been reported throughout the Caribbean, in Latin America, Mexico and Florida.
A US teenager in Texas also claimed to have shot and killed one such creature.
Carter Pope, 13, said he spotted the hairless predator prowling an open field when he shot at it three times.
"Its back legs were shrivelled up. I mean, I honestly think it's a Chupacabra," he said.