The Beast In The Woods

Couldn't help getting sucked in by the tale of mysterious, short-snouted, blue-eyed beast found in the Maine woods when we were on vacation.

Local journals have been flooded by emails from those offering opinions about the nature of the creature. Some described it as the state's Chupacabra, a predator in the Southwest and Mexico. Others wagered it was extra terrestrial. Another suggested it was a mythological American Indian bogeyman called a Wendigo.

It was long thought something horrible lived in those woods.

The Bangor Daily News wrote:

For years, consistent reports have arisen of an unidentified animal with glowing eyes, a chilling cry and the features of a wolverine, a hyena and a Tasmanian Devil. The mystery beast has been blamed for killing a Doberman pinscher in Wales and mauling a Rottweiler in Greene. It has also been suggested as the cause of missing cats around the region.

Since the turn of the century, the Sun Journal has carried stories about strange creatures emerging from the woods. In 1906, a brief story appeared about a mystery creature then known as "the Injun Devil," a "strange, dun brown thing with lolling chops and tasseled ears" that roamed the woods of West Gardiner, scaring berry pickers. The creature was also known as the "Lucifee," or "Indian Devil."

So mystery solved - it was a dog. The molecular forensics lab at University of Maine determined it had a dog for a mother and most likely a dog for a father.