By Jane Watrel
NBCWashington.com
updated
8/16/2011 10:35:09 AM ET
2011-08-16T14:35:09
The creature has been spotted in the woods where smokers take breaks
since the hospital banned smoking June 1, but no one knows what the
animal is, so they’ve named it Prince Chupa, after chupacabra — the
legendary cryptid rumored to exist in parts of the Americas and suck the
blood of livestock.
Video: Video shows chupacabra look-alike in Maryland (on this page)
“It’s a kangaroo, dog, rat mixed,” X-ray technician Joe Livermore
said. “It’s got a rat tail and a head like a deer. I don’t know what it
is.”
People started taking cell phone pictures of the animal and showing them around, but no one knows what it is.
“So we decided to trap it,” Livermore said.
On Thursday, Livermore lured the animal with chicken and leftover Chinese food and caged it briefly to get a closer look.
“I didn’t know what to do with him,” Livermore said. “I didn’t know what it was. People said it was a fox, a deer, a dog.”
After some close-ups, the animal was released. Those pictures haven’t led to a confirmation of species yet, either.
Those who’ve been around Prince Chupa said it’s shy, not aggressive and suspect there might be more than one.