 Santiago, Chile
Preliminary lab analysis and opposing views from different veterinarians
regarding the discovery of the alleged humanoid being have generated controversy
and debate not only in Chile, but also throughout Latin America and in
Europe. Ever since Mega News Network of Chile first reported the story
of the 3-inch long creature found near Concepcion by family members during
an outdoors trip, numerous speculations, rumors, and theories about the
origins of that creature have begun to spread.
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- The opinions from different veterinarians and health
specialists in Chile are sharply divided, some point out that the alleged
humanoid creature is nothing more than part of the local wild life, mentioning
the possibility that it is a wild cat, or perhaps a so-called monito de
monte or mouse opossum (Dromiciops Gliroides), which is a marsupial commonly
found in Chile and Argentina. Other health specialists assure that the
creature does not fit the descriptions of any local animal.
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- Doctor Mario Dussuel conducted a preliminary analysis
on the tiny carcass. According to Dussuel, the 3-inch long carcass indicates
that is neither a fetus, nor the remains a feline. "I took a good
look
 at the tiny mummified body. It is very
strange, very small, very light, but what caught my attention is its slanted
eyes. Besides its unusual physical appearance, what makes it different
than any animal from the area is the length of its fingers, and how thin
its neck is", he explained.
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- Dussuel also mentioned that in order to proceed with
any further studies, it is necessary to conduct an electronic microscopic
analysis from tissue samples, and perhaps obtain a DNA sample from the
tiny carcass. "It is very important that we conduct these tests. Without
studying the tissue and DNA samples, we cannot make a distinction between
different animal species, or if its biological composition could somehow
be similar to that of a human fetus. This is indeed an extraordinary case,
and it may resonate nationally and abroad" he said.
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- On the other hand, in an interview with investigator
Cristian Riffo, Doctor Arturo Mann, a specialist from the University of
Santo Tomas assured that the alleged creature is nothing more than a mouse
opossum, a small mammal that inhabits the Valdiviana Forest in Southern
Chile. "The carcass does not appear to be a human fetus. During my
preliminary analysis, I concluded that this small mammal belongs to the
local wild life. By looking at its long fingernails, it is possible that
it used its hands to dig. Its physical characteristics are similar to those
of a monito de monte (mouse opossum).
 This
particular species is related with marsupials from Australia, but the Chilean
relatives are much smaller. These are nighttime animals. They eat insects
and small fruits," he said.
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- Basing his study on wild life publications in the University
of Santo Tomas, Doctor Mann claims that he is 90% certain about his conclusion.
He also explained how the mouse opossum, found in Concepcion could have
died. It is very possible that this mammal was very weak. "Marsupials
in Chile hibernate and become drowsy during the winter. When these marsupials
consume and gather enough food, they begin their hibernation in April or
May, and it lasts until August or September. At the end of their hibernation
period, they are very weak because they have not consumed any food for
months. In addition to that, there could have been unfavorable climatic
conditions for this marsupial to survive," he said.
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- However, other veterinarians are not so sure that it
may be "just a mouse". In order to demonstrate that the alleged
creature found in Concepcion was not the mouse opossum, three veterinarians
went on national television to express their disagreement. The Megavision
Tel
 evision Network invited the young
veterinarians on the show titled "The Law of the Jungle," on
October 26 of 2002. Each veterinarian was specialized in different fields;
one was specialized in insects, another one in wild animals, and the last
one in domestic animals and pets. The wild life specialist (pictured left)
claimed to have studied the mouse opossums of Valdiviana and he assured
that the dead specimen does not correspond to that particular species type.
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- During their television appearance, the veterinarians
conducted a preliminary analysis of the carcass. "The lower jaw does
not present the typical characteristics of a mouse opossum; it does not
have the small pointed teeth. The cranial formation is at least double
the size if compared with those particular mammals. Unfortunately, the
carcass is badly decomposed and we cannot examine the upper jaw. And strangely
enough, now that I just mentioned how decomposed this specimen is, let
us not forget that this is highly unusual; I have never seen a body so
decomposed after being dead fro only 25 days," said one of them.
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- "Furthermore, the mouse opossum has a tail. This
specimen does NOT have a tail and does not present any trace of evidence
that it had one at some point in time. Another remarkable difference is
the fact that its body does not have any traces of hair; the only hair
we are able to find is on what appear to be its eyebrows. Mouse opossums
have a very thick coat of hair throughout the body." They also pointed
out to obvious physical aspect differences, such as the long and thin torso,
as well as how the slanted eyes are so much larger than the ones of a mouse
opossum.
-
 Another veterinarian referred to investigations
conducted by Jaime Ferrer in Northern Chile; he compared the carcass to
eyewitness descriptions mentioning the "Chupacabras." Several
references were made to different foot tracks found by Ferrer, as well
as articles and photos posted on Rense.com and the Miami UFO Center website.
They announced that the final results of their analyses will be revealed
within days.
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- Stay tuned.
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- Special thanks to Jaime Ferrer
- Translation by Mario Andrade
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