The Beast of Bladenboro

            While it is not a Sasquatch, The Beast of Bladenboro is still very interesting and I thought it would make a nice addition to the page. I live in North Carolina and can honestly say that I had never heard of the beast until just a few years ago, but I must say that it does have quite a history.

Bladen County North Carolina

            During the cold of December in 1953 several dogs were found dead and all were said to be drained of blood. A farmer said that something attacked his dog and dragged it away. While the creature may sound similar to the Chupacabra in its methods, the Beast of Bladenboro has been said to be more of a very large cat-like creature. Soon the news was out, and drawing hunters from miles away to track down what had then been known as a Vampire Beast that had been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of animals ranging from small household pets to livestock.

The bodies of the animals had their throats torn open and seemingly all of the blood had been drained and little to no signs of struggle. Some reports even state that the skulls had been crushed.

            Descriptions of the creature say that the animal is roughly three feet in length with a rounded face, solid black and its weight ranging from 90 – 150 pounds. The creature has also been said to make a deep roaring sound, as well as, sounds similar to a baby crying.

After a while the number of people traveling through Bladenboro dropped apparently out of fear of the creature. Residents brought their pets inside to protect them from the vicious attacks, and began carrying weapons with them while outdoors.  

So what is it? Some people have said that the beast was simply a bobcat, a cougar and some have even speculated that it was even dogs. Experts have stated that there have been no Cougars in North Carolina for many years and just dismiss the theory altogether. As far as the “large black cat-like creature,” Experts also say that there are no large black cats native to North America.

Still the reports persist in Bladenboro, and throughout the state, of a large black creature that attacks animals and drains them of blood. Ever since I was little I have heard people tell of seeing a “panther” in the mountains and hearing them crying out in the night and have even heard of people telling me that some were black as coal.

An adult cougar will eat around 10 pounds of meat per day and is known to ambush its prey and kill by attacking the neck. However, cougars eat their catches and do not just drain the blood, and only leave the carcass behind buried under a layer of leaves or brush to return to later. Could the beast simply be the signs of the cougar making a return to the state and reclaiming old hunting grounds? Or could it be something entirely different? Could there really be a “vampire beast” stalking through the woods, mountains and swamps of North Carolina?