By Tim Binnall

A strange hysteria has swept over a town in Puerto Rico following a number of mysterious animal deaths that have been attributed to a 'gargoyle.' Over the last six weeks, residents in the town of Barceloneta have had several of their chickens and roosters killed by an unknown predator that sucked the blood from the unfortunate animals. The weirdness was amplified exponentially thanks to one member of the community's alleged sighting of the creature believed to be behind the attacks.

"I saw the gargoyle in flight. There's no doubt about it," Edgardo Santiago Rodriguez told a local media outlet. According to the bewildered witness, he was sitting in a pool during a full moon when he sensed a shadow pass over his head. When Rodriguez looked up, he was astonished to see a five-foot-tall winged entity with a muscular body "like a bodybuilder." Other residents have reported hearing a bizarre sound purportedly made by the creature when it is in the area.

The curious case has sparked something of a media firestorm on the island with the 'Gargola de Barceloneta' becoming a bonafide sensation over the last few days. One particularly excited outlet has devoted no less than 11 articles to covering the creature in just the past week. Meanwhile, many amused Puerto Ricans have taken to social media to celebrate the oddity by way of various memes which are mostly mocking the whole idea.

Nonetheless, Rodriguez is steadfast about what he saw and rebuffed those who have laughed at his story. "I want to tell those people that the world is mystical," he mused, "that there are things that the human being does not know." Despite the ridicule he and the other townspeople have received, they are clearly quite serious about the creature as numerous residents have banded together to hunt for the creature that has left their community on edge.

Unfortunately, their first effort proved to be largely futile as they group only found what appeared to be claw marks on a tree. That said, they also reportedly smelled an inexplicable and unbearable odor for about 20 minutes as well as witnessed an unidentified light that they said seemed like it was watching them. The impromptu posse plans to reconvene at a later date and, this time, they may have help as the island's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources have announced that they will soon launch their own investigation into the 'Gargola de Barceloneta.'