Claws for Concern

Did you know one investigator traced the first big chupacabra eyewitness description back to a movie that had just opened in theaters? ...We looked into it. 🐐 Welcome to Valid Source? The podcast where we investigate the internet myths, viral claims, and trending gossip you’ve been thinking about but haven’t had time to research. We’re not experts. We’re just two friends willing to do the extra digging. This episode: Harley is still searching for a way to drink hot coffee at 5:15 a.m., Ashley is deep in October birthday season, and then Ashley turns the Halloween special into a tour of Puerto Rican conspiracy theories. We start with a secret Navy base, a giant alien-hunting telescope, and a UFO legend with claw-handed beings, which Harley immediately pictures as lobster hands. Ashley then walks through the Navy’s decades of bombing on Vieques and what has been reported about its health and environmental fallout, and the documented history of forced sterilization and the birth control pill trials in Puerto Rico. From there we dig into the chupacabra itself, including the 1995 movie that may have inspired the first sighting, the hairless “mange” chupacabras that came later, and the 1975 Moca vampire that might be the same creature under a different name. Harley invents a cryptid on the spot (the Lemon Man), and we close with Taylor Swift gossip and Ashley’s theory that Taylor is listening to our private conversations. Because of course she does. Valid Source? verdict on Puerto Rican conspiracies: some are documented and heartbreaking, some are pure speculation, and the chupacabra may just be a movie monster with great word of mouth. Content Warning: This episode discusses forced sterilization and unethical medical experimentation in Puerto Rico’s history, and briefly touches on plastic surgery and body image. linktr.ee/validsourcepod | validsourcepod@gmail.com | (720) 593-1668 Opinions expressed are solely those of the hosts and do not reflect any affiliated companies, employers, or sponsors. Valid Source? is for entertainment and informational purposes only — nothing here constitutes professional legal, medical, or financial advice, and should not be acted on as such. We actively welcome listener feedback, corrections, and differing perspectives. We reserve the right to change our minds — that’s kind of the whole point.