Personally, I liked this episode a lot more than last week's. The vampire beast SHOULD have been the season opener instead of giant pigs. There was so much more to like about this episode:

Whatever is killing these dogs, farm animals, etc is reminiscent of Chupacabra in some ways. And that's always interesting.

It kills those pit bulls, too, very quickly. Pit Bulls can be pretty rough and tough dogs. They're not so easy to just take out like that.

The beast doesn't seem to kill for food, which seems to rule out predators. It simply seems to kill for the sake of killing. But why?

The beast here was a little more mythical, complete with a cool artist's rendering. I know what a giant pig looks like, but I like artist's depictions of what a unknown creature looks like, even if it isn't accurate. It's just more fun that way, isn't it?

Anyway, Id love to hear other people's thoughts on last night's episode. Did you like it? Not like it? What do you think is killing those animals? Something like another dog or cougar, or perhaps something more along the lines of a vampire beast?

It was okay.

I didn't except them to get a picture of a 'mountain lion.' That's kinda cool. Are they known to do that?

I can't think of a animal who would let a body there. And the dog who returned back to the spot was a little odd.

For some reason when I heard the noises. I thought of big cat and guess I was right.

I thought it was a good episode.

The picture of the cougar was interesting. Yes, I could see a cougar being responsible for the deaths. Trouble is, cougars are not believed to be in that area, and the picture itself isn't very good. Yes, its probably a cougar picture, but is it a statue of a cougar? Where was it taken? Its fuzzy and theres no background information on it to validate it. So it makes it tough to point to a cougar as the culprit at this time.

It was an ok episode...

I didn't watch the whole thing. Did they say if they drew up some ideas what it could be?

I think it could be some kind of occult? Perhaps its an occult dressed up in some kind of ritual uniform? Maybe they need certain blood from certain animals to perform specific rituals?

If it WAS a cougar, it would not be unprecedented for a big cat to kill, supposedly for pleasure or some reason other than food/survival. I'd have to dig up a link, but I KNOW I read about a case where African lions began hunting and killing humans, and NOT eating them.

Besides, how many house cat owners get left "presents" on their doorsteps every morning? I know I did when I was kid. My cat left mice, moles, birds, even a BAT once, on our doorstep. One mouse actually got up when eh dropped it and RAN! Cats are so weird...

All that aside, it was an interesting episode. A little melodramatic maybe..."Vampire Beasts!"...seems a bit silly.

I heard about this as well, but it was about a cheetah who would literally hop through African peoples windows and kill them in there sleep and not eat them at all, like it was a sport or something.

Yeah, Id agree it certainly could be a big cat, like a cougar, for instance. I would just need more than an incredible fuzzy picture of something that appears to be a cougar before I say so. In this case, I guess it'd either be just for the sport or for territorial reasons.

The African Lions thing, was that the one the move "The Ghost and the Darkness" or whatever was based on? It may or may not be, but I've heard other similar stories to what you're describing as well.

I've definitely had my share of presents from my cats. Just two days ago there was a lovely bird carcass for me outside. I think it was the neighbor's cat though. What can I say? They love me, too.

I'd agree..."Vampire Beasts" was a little melodramatic, but the show can be too, sometimes. Though the scene where the father and son had to dig up their own dead dog...I woulda puked. I honestly don't think I could have done it either. Woulda been too tough for me to stomach.

I do think that's where this tid-bit of useless info lodged in my brain came from. I'm not sure if it was 2 lions like the movie, or if that was for dramatic effect, but who knows. I guess that almost opens it up for a new thread (or an existing one for that matter) about the mystery big-cats seen in Europe as well as the US. I just doubt the Vampire angle. Though, didn't the lions in that movie supposedly like their victims til they bled, and kept licking (with that raspy cat tongue removing skin in layers)? That borders on the vampiric. Great, now I have to go look up if that's a true story...ugh.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...tsavolions.html

I got to this link via a wiki entry. These were rare "mane-less lions". Pretty interesting story, all romanticism aside. Maybe a few of these are loose in the suburbs? That would SUCK for us.

I guess they just used "Vampire" because the animals were all bit on the neck. So, yeah...a bit over the top, for certain. But, it's not like they were drained of blood like with Chupacabra, for instance.

Ah, whatever. Next week they're going to look for Lizzie Borden's ghost. I guess if they consider THAT a "Monster" they can consider a pit bull and farm animal killing cougar-like animal a "vampire," right?

It's not uncommon for healthy, well-fed cats to kill and not eat their prey. It is a sport to them, more or less.


The lion thing in Africa, do you mean the man eaters of Tsavo? o:
That was a really interesting story.

edit: Shoot, just noticed that was already posted. ):!

While watching the episode, I blurted out, "I'll bet it's a kitty."

People keep big cats, and sometimes they escape. So even if there isn't a breeding population around, you can get a stray tiger now and then.

The blurry cell cam pic of the cougar bore me out on this one. That is definitely a cougar.

I was thinking that the only way you kill a pit bull like that is to sneak up on it, preferably while it's asleep, and pounce with a killing bite while disemboweling with the back feet. That's how cats do things. Thus no struggle.

My other thought was that it could be a black bear. You never know what a bear will do.

As for not eating the prey... sometimes predators will kill to do away with threats or competition in their territory, such as these huge pit bulls. And sometimes, I guess they'll do it because they can. A panther in a pen full of goats is something like a kid in a candy store.

I liked it. The goats killed were less then an hour from where I live. I liked seeing the photo at the end. So many shows end with the same old, "nothing this time".

Unfortunately that photo can't be validated. It probably is a cougar, but the photo is awful blurry so can we truly say if it was alive or stuffed? Do we know for certain where it was taken?

It's certainly a cougar. Whether it was alive or stuffed or taken elsewhere, it's impossible to say, except with reference to the credibility of the person who took it. I don't think that person was in any way involved with the investigation into these animal deaths. I think this was just a separate cougar sighting.

Even if it was definitely a pic of a live cougar in that area, we still wouldn't be sure that it was the culprit.

But it seems to me that everything is pointing at a large cat, and the pic is at least consistent with that idea.

It could still be somebody's escaped "pet" tiger.

imo i think this could be a new species of big cat,or a new animal altogether.ive never really heard of any bigcat(or any 4-legged predator for that matter)showing vampiristic traits.the cougar WOULD be an explanation,if the fact that the animals killed were uneaten werent in the equation.ive done a lot of study on the Beast of Bladenboro and knowing that a cougar will eat what it kills,and that even if it can overpower a pitbull there would still be some sign of struggle,theres some differences between the two.

1.we all know what a cougar sounds like but the sounds said to be the beasts by locals and camping hunters are described as sounding like a womans scream and cries like a baby.

2.the beast seems to be much smarter than a cougar,because if a cougar attacked an animal,it would stay and eat it or sleep,whereas the beast will hide once the deed is done

3.i dont know a single animal who kills by breaking the lower jaw,crushing the skull,and sucking the victim dry of blood

I have heard stories of mountains lions sounding like screaming women in the woods, and these animals are making a comback all along the east coast. Whether a mountain lion is a cougar or vice versa, I have no idea but judging from that picture, I think it was defenitely a cougar that made its way up from Florida somehow or was someones' pet that was released or escaped.
I think the bodies were never eaten because the attacks had just happened- as in the lady that found her goats was probably a few feet away from the hiding cougar and had no idea. And the killed pitbull was chained to a leash, maybe making it harder for the cougar to drag it away in time. Or if it was a released pet maybe it's killing animals because of natural instincts, but is accustomed to being handfed.
As far as that dog being dug back up... I have no idea but attaching the word "Vampire" to the story opens the door for pranks.
OR.
Maybe its a tiger mixed with an alligator, thus explaining the cat noises and the digging up of the burried carcass. A tigeator. Or an alliger. Or a tatzelwurm.

-Pol

I think a cougar killed the pit bulls, regardless of how tough they may be, they are no match for an ambush by a cougar. Cougars are just that, ambush hunters. From what I've heard from accounts of attacks on humans, the people attacked didn't even know what happened, sometimes until they were told after the attack. If a cougar has surprise, it can take down animals even larger than it is, silently and swiftly. Given the brown dirt and vegetation near the scenes of attack, I think a cougar would be able to stay out of sight easily. JMO

I live in the area this occurred it was a cougar. We have them here now, how they got here, who knows--someone not long ago reported seeing one with a tracking collar on. We have a population explosion of deer, maybe they are following the food, or wildlife has introduced them back in the area as has been suggested.

best regards,
seax