- Diario la Discusion (Chile)
- July 5, 2004
-
- Juan Acu'a looks scared. He first runs away from the
press and then argues that he's tired of telling his story to the press
out of a fear that no one will believe him anyway. The fact of the matter
is that around 2 a.m. on Sunday, he went to drop off his brother-in-law
and on his return home, he lived through an indescribable situation that
he still cannot understand.
-
- "I was on my way to the smallhold where I live and
two animals crossed my path--a large one and a small one. One bit my leg
while the other went for my face. I shielded myself with my arm to defend
myself. Later I jumped into the Canal Fiscal and managed to come up in
front of my brother in law's house with my clothing all ripped. They called
the ambulance and I was taken to the hospital, getting there at 5:30 a.m.
They cured me there, but nothing else," Acu'a explained.
-
- The resident says that the creatures were tremendously
strong, and that he was in fear for his life all the time, since he still
couldn't figure out what they were. "I think they may come back. I
felt their claws...look at my body. They were always going for my face.
I jumped into the canal because they wouldn't go into the water. They followed
me along the edge and then flew. They were dog-faced and had wings. This
isn't a normal situation, I told myself. They were much stronger than me;
they got on top of me," he noted.
-
- Meanwhile, the district attorney of Parral, Ricardo Encina,
noted that the injuries had been evidenced, but couldn't tell what caused
them. "He has, in fact, defensive injuries on his arms, shoulders
and back. He's very affected by what happened. We've initiated transactions
such as a visit to the site, we've spoken to the victime and he has an
appointment to see a physician. Then we'll know what we're up against."
-
- The D.A. dismissed the possibility that the wounds were
caused by a human. "All I can think is that it's not an attack by
a person, since these arent the cutting wounds we're used to seeing when
a knife is involved. Nor does he shows blows, as though someone had given
him a beating. Nor does he have the scratches characteristic of someone
who fell down by being drunk. That's not what it is, but I couldn't tell
you the exact nature of the injuries," he stated. Ricardo Encina confirmed
that a few days ago there were reports of hen slayings near Parral, but
it wasn't possible to determine what kind of animal was involved.
-
- Ana Maria Gajardo, the victim's spouse, is upset by her
husband's situation. "I'm upset because he wasn't hospitalized long
enough to run tests. We're concerned about his bruises. I'm afraid that
he might get some sort of infection and we don't know what'll happen. I
want him to be seen by a doctor, because this is the first case we've had
like this," she argues. According to Maria Gajardo, when she was on
her way to work a few hours before the event, she saw "a large bird"
in the vicinity of Canal Fiscal. "This isn't a joke. They take advantage
of us because we're poor. If we had money he'd be in the hospital and everything
would be taken care of."
|
