Culture

Meet la Gárgola de Barceloneta, Puerto Rico’s Latest Chupacabra-Like Sensation

Lead Photo: Photo by Alan López for Remezcla
Photo by Alan López for Remezcla
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Gárgolas, monster-like figures that sit atop cathedrals, mostly call Europe home. But now it seems one came to life a la Hunchback of Notre Dame and is running wild in the mountains of Puerto Rico.

RELATED: A Running List of Chupacabra Sightings

Neighbors in the northern town of Barceloneta in Puerto Rico are searching for a 5-foot-tall gárgola that, according to reports, has killed several chickens and roosters in the area for the past month and a half. The complaints and first-person accounts have led to a search that started over the weekend and now counts the Puerto Rico police as an ally.

Resident Edgardo Santiago Rodríguez described the gargoyle as a “bodybuilder in animal form.” Others have said the gárgola is a red-eyed demon-like creature with 4-foot-long wings. Santiago told Primera Hora he was in his pool when he saw the gárgola. The attack seems to be the same for every victim in the area: a bite on the neck from where the creature sucks blood and leaves the animals hypnotized, (which I know what you’re thinking, seems very much like the chupacabra). 

Other neighbors claim they’ve seen and heard the gárgola as well, showing two version of the alleged scream it makes when it flies around the town.

Here is version No. 1:

Listen to version No. 2:

So far, only animals have been been reportedly attacked, but one ufologist warns that the gárgola could start biting humans next. Reinaldo Ríos, a candidate for governor for the dubious Partido Extraterrestre Omnipotente (PEO), says that if the police doesn’t start taking the complaints seriously the gárgola could soon attack humans in the area. 

But Barceloneta inhabitants do believe in the gárgola, and over the weekend launched an investigation to capture the animal. On Sunday, the group – led by Edgardo Santiago Rodríguez – set out to find the mysterious creature at night when they claimed the animal would hunt because of the full moon. Equipped with three large cages, they prepared to trap the gárgola. They also called upon licensed hunters to join the search with armor and shotguns. So far, nothing has come out of the overnight search. 

The bizarre animal is capturing the attention of media and authorities alike, since the Puerto Rico police is now officially joining the investigation. Univision’s Primer Impacto also dedicated a segment to the “terrifying” gárgola. The creature also has its own Facebook page that has reached racked up more than 8,000 followers. In Barceloneta, the bar La Nueva Ola just released the gárgola shot. And on September 1, there’s an event (a complete troll) to hunt down the creature.

The island has been a source of mysterious legends for decades. One of the most famous was the 1995 search for the chupacabras, led by former mayor of Canóvanas José “Chemo” Soto. That search also led nowhere. 

Because Puerto Ricans are meme masters, the gárgola is, naturally, now the protagonist of hundreds of memes on Puerto Rican Twitter, with some even comparing the animal to Randy’s 2006 single “Soy una gárgola.”

Take a look at the incredible memes below.

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https://twitter.com/CtrlAltDns/status/1034037274768547840

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