Benjamin, the last known thylacine, Hobart Zoo, 1933
‘The thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century.
‘The thylacine had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before European settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island of Tasmania. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none proven.’
Thylacine rock art at Ubirr c.1000BC
Bagged thylacine, 1869
Thylacine with a chicken, 1921. This image was widely distributed and may have helped secure the animal's reputation as a poultry thief. In fact the image is cropped to hide the thylacine's fenced run and housing.
Wilf Batty with the last thylacine killed in the wild, 1930
Thylacine family at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, 1910
Stuffed thylacine
Below: footage of the last thylacine, 1933
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Image of stuffed thylacine by Torsten Blackwood
Thank you to Freddie
This is yet another reason I hate my species. Eventually there will be no fish, no birds…I’m just glad I will be long dead before that.
We’ll be extinct soon too I expect, then the world will have a chance.
A rather better preserved stuffed thylacine than the one featured here is on permanent display at Bristol City Museum here in the UK.
I’ve been enchanted with thylacines since I was 12 years old. They look so beautiful in pictures, I’ve always wished desperately that I could see one living and breathing in real life.
Anit man lovely we so good to the animals last of its kind driven mad in a cage
I would imagine they could get some DNA from the stuffed examples (or elsewhere)… if so, maybe they can ‘clone’ some again in the near future!
There have been lots of sightings in recent years in the wilds of tasmania. Whether actual or wishful thinking, I’m not sure, but I’m hoping they’re in the backcountry somewhere. I seem to recall there’s a website devoted to investigating the sightings somewhere.
There have been a number of groups that have expressed an interest in cloning thylacines, but each one has hit problems (ie. funding, poor DNA samples) before they really got started.
I’d love to see them back in the wild, it might help to put things into a little more balance – however as thylacine habitat generally coincides with Tasmania’s prime grazing land (part of the reason they were hunted to extinction in the first place), I doubt it’d ever happen. Much wiser to put all that effort into saving the tasmanian devil, rather than throwing guilt money at a pipe-dream…
I remember there was an alleged “tiger hunter” a few years ago who got some column-space in the local newspapers (there was even a picture of him sheltering in a sandstone cave with his face obscured) with claims there were still thylacines living in north-east Tasmania, backed by a few local eccentrics. None of it was proven, of course, and after a week or so we never heard of him again.
Footnote: the last captive thylacine in the movie above was dubbed “Ben” by the zookeepers, even though “Ben” was actually a female. Just an example of how dreadfully misunderstood these poor creatures were.
It’s sad when any animal becomes extinct.
Especially if it’s one that that vanished by the hand of man, and yet, appeals to humans. (You ever hear anyone mourn the lose of the ugly dodo bird, do you?)
Because it looked so dog-like,(If you look carefully, you’ll notice its head actually looks more like a kangaroo’s, but with lots of big teeth.) sightings of feral dogs, mixed wishful thinking, account for modern sightings of the Thyacine.
Unfortunately, “extinct”, means forever.
Thus I must agree with “smudgeon”, that perhaps our best efforts should be put into saving the Tasmanian Devil. (Even though they are perfectly nasty little beasts.)