Executive Summary

In January and February 2026, a peculiar media phenomenon swept across the United States and Latin America: widespread alarm about 'therians' — young people who identify psychologically with non-human animals. The panic arrived with remarkable timing. On January 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released over three million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking network, naming more than 305 high-profile individuals and mentioning former President Donald Trump over 38,000 times. This report maps the anatomy of that manufactured crisis. Through analysis of legislative timelines, media amplification patterns, academic research on diversionary tactics, and transnational conservative network infrastructure, we document how an authentic, three-decade-old online subculture of teenagers was transformed into political weaponry, a folk devil for the digital age.

Central thesis

The therian panic is not a spontaneous expression of parental concern. Instead, we’re witnessing a self-reinforcing amplification system that serves the structural interest of diverting conservative media audiences from accountability journalism on Epstein, while simultaneously advancing anti-trans legislative agendas and destabilizing progressive governments across Latin America.