Text:

The chupacabra was, in the words of the subject, a goat-looking humanoid creature that would suck the blood out of its victims.  If the subject ever went on a hike or into someplace more rural and nature-like with his family, then they would tell him and any other children with them that the chupacabra was always somewhere, and was waiting for kids who didn’t pay attention or didn’t heed their parent’s warnings so that it could snatch them up and carry them away to devour them.  They would especially remind the subject of this story if they and their peers weren’t staying close to the parents, and were going too far into the wilderness without supervision.

The subject reported that descriptions of this creature varied every time they were told about it, with the subject sometimes being told it was a monster, to sometimes being told it was a demon, to sometimes being told it was simply a scary animal.  However, some things that always stayed consistent with the retellings was that it was very small, very fast, very strong, and extremely grotesque.

Context:

The subject, N.S., grew up in the urban areas of Los Angeles, but was very close to rural hiking trails and other natural, outdoorsy environments, where they and their family would make regular weekend trips towards hiking trails and parks.  It was in these hiking trails and parks that the subject was warned by his parents of the dangers of the chupacabra, and of the dangers of going too far from their parents in the rural area.  The subject also stated that the stories about the Chupacabra slowly began to be phased out of their life as time moved on, until eventually, their parents never mentioned it again.

Interpretation:

The superstition of the Chupacabra was likely meant as a way to prevent the subject from running off from their parents when in heavily wooded and rural areas, especially since the subject could navigate the sometimes-thick brush more easily than their parents could.  By giving the subject a dangerous boogeyman in the form of the chupacabra, the subject’s parents were able to ensure that the subject would stay close to them, as well as avoid taking any unnecessary risks whilst they’re out in such an unfamiliar and dangerous environment.  The Chupacabra also likely had some history buried in actual sightings, with people over time spotting creatures that matched the chupacabra’s descriptions, and created a superstition hidden behind the Chupacabra’s nature and danger.