They saw a strange being and they all held their breath, then showed they were human by beating it to death. They were children.

Ok so the title is a spoof, but the context is very real and should be considered when dealing with things that are unfamiliar to us. What you are looking at in the photo is an as yet unidentified creature of some sort.

The discovery of a strange creature in Cerro Azul, Panama has sparked controversy among the population. While some say it may be a being from another planet, others simply believe that it is an animal. The incident attracted the attention of the Panama military, Zoologists and even some wildlife experts from the National Environmental Authority in Panama.

Four teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years, met him at the Jet Blue Hill, on Saturday, while having fun in the place. According to one of them, they suddenly saw the creature emerging from a cave, it looked at them and started towards one of them. As the creature approached, the boys became frightened and began to throw rocks and sticks at it until it was dead, after which they ran to inform the authorities and come back to take photos.

Canal 4 TV in Panama showed the local armed military assisting investigators and wildlife experts from the National Environmental Authority in Panama. Although furry and too slow, the closest animal to resemble this creature is a sloth. Ironically a sloth which died in the area a day before was skinned and brought in at the site for comparison (the strange creature had no fur but had a similar claw) but they were still unable to identify the creature.

Melquiades Ramos, wildlife expert of the National Environmental Authority said "we are investigating the case of the strange creature found in Cerro Azul,  since it's features are very unique, we need to dig deeper."

Close-up Photos of the Creature.

The Debates:

Theory: Sloth.
Some think that the creature is a sloth despite the fact that experts could not identify it. It wouldn't be the first time professional educated authorities made a  big mistake. From the kid's point of view its a bit absurd though. Think about how that sounds; a group of boys spent all their allowance on shaving cream and a few dozen razors to shave sloth and then figured out how to give it a strange head and think they are going to fool the gun carrying authorities.

Theory: Unknown Species.
Is it possible that some form of genetic mutation from the sloth family managed to happen via air or toxic pollutants? Have we discovered some new form of species that has managed to remain hidden for ages and also survive the ravages of time only to die at the hands for frightened kids? Possibly the last remaining of its species gone at the hand of ignorance.

Theory: Alien
Some people insist on thinking that this is not an animal. Is it possible that an intelligent creature similar to Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars could exist? If so, this raises many questions about the way we raise our children to respond to the unknown. In this story, out of ignorance, the teenagers became afraid and decided to kill or destroy what they did not understand.

If this is the way Earth children react, imagine how aliens may think human adults would act. No wonder the media is full reports of aliens who are only showing themselves to isolated people with lousy cameras.   Those friendly aliens many people talk about wanting to meet are probably all scared!

Summary Question:
The next time you are faced with someone or an idea that seems alien to you, what will you do? More importantly, what will children learn to do by watching you?