Of all sad extinction stories, one of the saddest is that of the Tasmanian tiger.
The Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) … is the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. …
The Thylacine became extinct on the Australian mainland thousands of years before European settlement of the continent, but survived on the island of Tasmania along with a number of other endemic species such as the Tasmanian Devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite being officially classified as extinct, sightings are still reported.
The last Thylacine … was captured in 1933 and sent to the Hobart Zoo where it lived for three years. It died on 7 September 1936
Official protection of the species by the Tasmanian government was introduced on 14 July 1936, 59 days before the last known specimen died in captivity.
Thylacine – Wikipedia
To see the last Tasmanian tiger (1933) click PLAY or watch the video clip from 1933 on YouTube.
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