Here Is Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About The Vampire Beast Of North Carolina
It Entered The Scene Dramatically In The 1950s
The first sighting of the beast happened back in 1953. On the evening of December 29th, a woman heard her neighbor's dogs causing a fuss outside at night. They were barking, and whimpering as if in fear, and she went out to check to see what the matter was. to her surprise, she reportedly found a large, cat-like creature that she thought was a mix between a lion and a bear. It slunk away into the darkness before she could get a decent look at it, however, leaving her reasonably shaken from the experience.
But that wasn't all. In some accounts of the incident, the dogs did more than just bark. The creature came prowling back, and ended up killing both dogs in a horrifying manner. Later on, there would be more sightings and more killings, but it was on that day that the Beast of Bladenboro was born.
It Seems To Drink The Blood Of Other Creatures
Photo: williamdefalco / YouTubeThere was one chilling factor that set the beast apart from an average bear or wild dog: it seemed fixated on blood. When dogs and livestock began turning up dead, local authorities found that the animals had been drained of blood with only few drops left in the corpses. While some of the victimized animals were horrifyingly mutilated, some bodies were found simply with bites and broken bones, and were flattened. One witness even recalls that it seemed the strange animal was drinking blood from one of the dogs it had killed.
Newspapers, as you might guess, latched onto the notion that there was a blood-sucker about, and began describing the beast as vampiric. This also gave rise to the notion that the beast might be something supernatural or mutated, as few animals in the world particularly feed off of solely blood. While this mystified and sensationalized the beast, it also frightened people, and they soon decided the beast had to be caught.
It Specifically Targeted Dogs
While the beast took down livestock including goats, pigs, and perhaps even horses, its preferred prey tended to be dogs, leading to further speculation that the vampire might be more cat-like than wolf-like, as cats are notorious enemies of dogs.
After the first sighting in December, the beast re-emerged and went on a rampage. On New Year's Eve 1953, Woody Storm found two of his dogs gruesomely killed on his property. Both had obviously been brought down by something large, as they were not exactly small dogs, and had been drained of blood. Over the next few days, reports came in from across the county, all reporting that dogs had been killed by some massive cat or bear or monster. The animal sometimes tore the dogs apart, drained their blood, or just dragged them off into the woods. A few of the poor animals were not found until later, dead and mutilated in the woods. But why did the beast particularly target dogs? Nothing's ever been proven.
It Decapitated Dogs And Other Animals
Photo: williamdefalco / YouTubeThe other telltale sign that the beast had been at work was that the bodies of its victims found were terribly mutilated. And not just a slashed stomach, either. The beast had decapitated its victims, or at the very least smashed their skulls to the point of flattening them. Many of the bodies later found in the woods were completely missing their heads, and one rabbit was found completely decapitated, but still warm, as if the creature had snapped off its head in one bite before fleeing. Dogs were often found with their lower jaws torn completely off, or smashed back to the point of being unrecognizable. This indicated that the creature was strong, and it cast serious doubt on later suggestions that the animal was merely a bobcat or stray hound.
It Made An Unearthly Noise
Photo: amiebea / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0Another thing many witnesses reported is that the Beast of Bladenboro made an absolutely chilling sound. While many accounts differ in the size and color of the beast, most agreed that its call sounded partly human in an unearthly way and truly unnerving. Some described it as the sound of a baby crying in pain somewhere outside. Others said it was like a woman screaming, as if she had been stabbed or had been hurt. Some people even reported seeing the animal open its jaws to make the sound, so it was not the noise of one of its unfortunate canine victims dying. No matter how it was described, pretty much everyone agreed that the beast's call was positively blood-curdling.
It Only Attacked A Human Once
While the beast definitely seemed to prefer canine prey, it did once try to attack a human. On the evening of January 5th, 1954, Mrs. C.E. Kinslaw was in her home when she heard some strange sounds outside. The dogs sounded like they were whimpering, and she went outside to see what the matter was. There, she saw a massive cat-like creature approaching her dogs, and it quickly turned its eyes on her. The beast rushed at her, as if to attack her, and she screamed before running inside for help from her husband. Apparently frightened by her screams, the beast slunk back into the woods.
The beast never attacked another human, seeming to prefer dogs and livestock. However, the incident made the papers, especially noting that there had been tracks left outside. It proved the beast was real, and that it could be dangerous to people.
There Was A Massive Hunt For The Beast
After the mysterious and gruesome deaths of so many local animals, people who lived in Bladenboro decided it was time to take down the beast. In January of 1954 massive group began to comb the forests and swamps trying to find this mysterious creature. The hunt got so big, in fact, that big-game hunters came from miles away and across state lines, just for a shot at tracking down the creature. Of course, given the rough terrain in the area, it was difficult to track the beast, and even more difficult to catch it, and after a long while had passed, the mayor called off the hunt. But not before a tantalizing moment of near-success.
One man caught a wild cat in a trap, and newspapers circulated images saying that the beast had been caught. Not only do experts agree that the animal was far too small, but there were also more killings after the wildcat had been killed. It is incredibly unlike that this cat was actually the fabled beast.
Various Theories Were Spun As To What The Creature Really Was
Photo: muzina_shanghai / flickr / CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0As to what the beast is, nobody is sure, but there are plenty of theories. The most obvious is that the animal is some sort of mountain lion, also called a catamount or a cougar. But blood-sucking doesn't exactly make sense in the case of cougar, so some experts have speculated that perhaps the animal lapped up the blood after crunching on the bones and bodies, rather than actually sucking it out. Along those lines, a bobcat has also been suggested, even if most people agree that they are not big or strong enough to fit the beast's characteristics. Another theory says that the beast is actually a large dog that was raised by a local before escaping, that was supposedly truly massive. Some others have even said that it is simply a bear that people mistook for being cat-like in the dark.
The Beast of Bladenboro seems to grow bigger and more frightening with each retelling of its legend.
The Beast Inspired Several Pranksters
Photo: ay_lee_in / flickr / CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0Because of all the attention and notoriety the animal received, some people were attracted to the beast myth for personal gain. Some hunters killed bobcats and displayed them as the legendary beast, even asking for payment for viewing. Some pranks, though, were more silly and harmless.
One Bladenboro resident later confessed that he intentionally created fake evidence of the creature for attention. He and his friends found a large dog, possibly a greyhound, then took the animal to a creek where the bank was still soft. They then tied a bad of dried peas to its tail and turned it loose. The sound and feeling of the peas frightened the dog, and it leaped around creating strange and frantic paw prints in the mud. Then, they went to reporters and said the tracks were from the beast. While these accounts were false, there were plenty more witnesses who claimed their sightings were genuine.
The Creature Wrecked Havoc In The Middle Of Nowhere
Photo: wenzday01 / flickr / CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0The beast was spotted on the outskirts of the town of Bladenboro, North Carolina, which is located nearly an hour from any other cities, and boasts a population of less than 2,000. In fact, one of the town's only real claims to fame is its legendary beast, and this is what put it on the map. News sources all along the coast and in many other states reported on the strange killings, and nearly overnight, Bladenboro became a recognizable name.
When you think about it, though, North Carolina is a great habitat for cryptids. Bladenboro in particular is surrounded by both forests and swamps, which makes combing the area for signs of an unknown creature rather difficult. This proved especially true when locals tried to hunt down the beast after attacks became more frequent.
There Are Occasionally Reported Sightings Of The Beast Decades After Its Initial Appearance
Photo: williamdefalco / YouTubeAlthough the creature appeared on the scene and wrecked its worst havoc in the 1950s, the beast still surfaces from time to time. In 2003, more farm animals and dogs began to turn up with crushed bones, bite marks, and very little blood in their bodies. Strange tracks were also found near the bodies, leading to people believing that the beast was back at work. But it didn't just stop with dead livestock and pets.
In 2013, a local family reported that their dog and three of their horses had been slaughtered in the night. The dogs had been barking, and when the son of the family, Tyler, investigated he said he had seen a strange creature in the shadows, running away from the body of a dead dog. The dead animals had been drained of blood and, given that the attack again happened in Bladenboro, people quickly linked the attack to the beast.
The Town Actually Celebrates Their Bloodthirsty Cryptid
Photo: williamdefalco / YouTubeEven though the beast has killed numerous family pets and livestock, the locals actually celebrate the creature rather than fear it now that its activity has somewhat subsided. Some older folks are reluctant to talk about it, but at the same time, as one local puts it, "There is such a thing as too much publicity for a small town."
As if to prove that, the town now has a festival called Beast Fest, held annually. There is live entertainment, food, and admission is free to anyone who shows up. The family-friendly festival is meant to boost the small town, and draw in tourism, capitalizing on its dark experience with a murderous feline cryptid. Around 10,000 people generally attend the festival, many of them hopeful that maybe, just maybe, they might catch a glimpse of the legendary Beast of Bladenboro.
