As often happens when rumors of monsters spread in rural areas around the world, some locals have taken extra safety precautions, such as traveling in groups and arming themselves with weapons. In 1995 and 1996, some Puerto Ricans armed themselves against the vampire beast el chupacabra; last year, Malaysian residents patrolled the streets searching for the mysterious orang minyak, or “oily man” creature that had recently terrorized them.
What could this monster be? One Namibian official, regional councilor Andreas Mundjindi, was quoted in Informante newspaper as saying, “This is an alien animal that the people have not seen before. We don’t have a forest here, only bushes. So, this must be black magic at play.” Some people in the area trace the beast to one old man rumored to be a warlock or witch doctor, suggesting it’s his pet (or, what witch-hunters hundreds of years ago would have called a “familiar”).
From The Daily Mail:What IS the dog-headed pig monster? Mystery of weird animal terrorising African villages
The assumption that the beast has magical origins is not surprising. A 2010 Gallup poll found belief in magic widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with more than half of respondents saying they personally believe in witchcraft and sorcery.