The Highway 90 Chupacabra

Years ago, a friend of mine who was a truck driver and daily drove Highway 90 from Gulfport to New Orleans often talked of seeing no roadkill on the highway. He was convinced that something was eating the roadkill. Seeing none on that section of road was extremely unusual since there was an abundance in other areas. Many people explain the phenomena as the presence of a Chupacabra in the area. There have been world wide reports of the goat-eating animal that has sharp teeth, a strong stench and kills chickens and other small animals. They are said to live in the darkest parts of New Orleans City Park golf course and have been seen running in the tall grass and along the levee's of Chalmette National Battlefield. In the Paradis, Luling and Boutte, La. area, many say late at night you can see them running across Highway 90 looking for something or someone to eat. Sightings reach from Texas to Florida. The creature has many names; Grunch, Houma Marsh Monster, City Park Black Grunch, Grand Isle Nurtia Sucker and others. Lakeview residents now a days tell of how they no longer leave their pets in the yard since Hurricane Katrina, because so many Grunch were displaced into the neighborhood. In Harvey, Louisiana, many people tell of seeing them knocking over trash cans and chasing cats to devour their blood. At first people thought they were mangy or rabid hairless raccoons. Real or not the stories of the American Chupacabra in New Orleans is often a topic of conversation over coffee. The Metarie Grunch seems to be more supernatural. The creature is said to be able to walk through walls, or even speak in a growling voice. Many believe them to be rougarou or shape shifting evil. Everyone in New Orleans knows of the Devil Baby. The story told in Metarie is that a child bitten by the Devil baby or cursed by him to shape shift into Chupacabra or Grunch at the full moon. Many, many reports are of sightings along highway 90. Perhaps the Chupacabra is the reason my friend saw no roadkill in the years he drove that route.