To handyman Frank Gallo, the creature that almost attacked him beside his rural trailer several days ago looked like the legendary Chupacabra.

"Scared the hell out of me," Gallo said. "It crouched and faced me and I shot two warning shots at it - 357-magnum, from 20-feet."

The shots seemed to have no effect and Gallo kept firing during the encounter.

"He looked down at where he'd been shot and let out a cry that sounded like, maybe a six year old girl. Ahhhhhh, really loud," Gallo said.

When Gallo saw the animal up close, it was even stranger.

"If you could feel this thing, if you could touch it, it's skin is like an elephant," Gallo said.

These incidents involving hairless mammals -- in this case, a young bear -- seem to be increasing. Might it be environmentally related? To read the rest of the article, click here.