Texas teen shoots 'chupacabra'

LA SALLE, Texas, July 21 (UPI) -- A Texas 13-year-old said he shot a strange animal outside of his home that he believes may be the legendary chupacabra.

Carter Pope, 13, said he saw the strange animal outside his La Salle home Sunday and he felled the creature with three shots from about 200 feet, KPRC-TV, Houston, reported Wednesday.

"It was gray, no hair at all. I thought that's a chupacabra," the teenager said, referring to the legendary creature purported to suck the blood of livestock.

Pope said he woke up his father to show him the kill.

"I thought I'm dreaming or this kid is crazy," father Will Pope said. "Probably a little bit of both."

Carter Pope said he is sending hair and skin samples for testing to get a positive identification of the creature.

Wildlife biologists said chupacabra sightings often turn out to be sick coyotes or other wild animals.