The West Virginia Abbagoochie
Foreign species introduced into new ecosystems can sometimes run riot. Without natural predators to challenge them, they multiply out of control, eventually crowding out the indigenous species. Such was the case with Kudzu, the plant which the U.S. Department of Agriculture imported into the American South to prevent soil erosion, and also with the rabbits which English settlers introduced into Australia. Such also was the unfortunate case with the Abbagoochie.Readers of the Webster Echo learned in February 2001 that officials of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) had recently introduced thirteen baby Abbagoochies from Costa Rica into their state in order to keep down the population of overpopulated predators such as coyotes and rattlesnakes. The Abbagoochies were described by the newspaper as being a fierce, carnivorous species. Costa Ricans referred to them as "dry-land piranhas." An accompanying photo showed a frightening creature that looked like a cross between an owl, a fox, and a deer.
But according to the Webster Echo, the WVDNR's plan had soon gone horribly awry. The Abbagoochies had grown up and were now eating everything in sight, including "rabbits, coons, squirrels, dogs, cats, deer, and even bear." Cows and horses had also been attacked. To make matters worse, the Abbagoochies, which had been imported to control the growth of overpopulated species, were themselves multiplying out of control.
Soon after the Webster Echo article appeared, sightings of Abbagoochies began occurring throughout the region. Farmers reportedly began carrying shotguns in order to protect their livestock. Concerned parents walked their kids to the schoolbus to make sure they were safe. And one man reported that he had accidentally run over an abbagoochie by mistake.
The panic didn't abate until February 14 when Jim Wilson, the author of the original article, claimed that the Abbagoochies were simply a figment of his imagination. However, rumors about the existence of the abbagoochie continue to persist.
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