Some people still hope that somewhere in the wild west of Tasmania some last Tasmanian tigers (Thylacinus cynocephalus) will sneak through the forest. However, it is much more likely that the species became extinct by the middle of the 20th century at the latest. The last known specimen lived at Hobart Zoo, where it died in captivity in 1936 after a few months. Where the remains of this tiger finally ended up and what happened to them, however, remained a mystery for decades – which the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) in Hobart finally solved in December 2022: The scientists Robert Paddle and Kathryn Medlock tracked down the specimen in the museum's collection.
Tasmanian tigers or even marsupial wolves once existed - contrary to what the name suggests – in large parts of Australia and on Tasmania. Gradually, however, the species was displaced on the mainland by diseases, hunting and dingoes, until the animals had survived only on the island. However, after the arrival of European settlers, they were quickly considered a plague, because they allegedly hunted sheep. This was followed by an intensive fight against the species, which was further fueled by a reward system and also did not end when the incentives were suspended. For example, a trapper had illegally caught a female marsupial wolf and handed it over to the zoo.
After the death of the bag wolf, skeleton and fur was prepared and sent it through schools as part of a teaching program without those responsible know what exactly it was. The children were even allowed to stroke the fur, of which significant signs of wear on his head testify. When this program ended in the 1980s, the Kadaver was packed to the museum archive - and forgot it until Paddle and Medlock went on the ultimately successful search.
Thylacines are an icon of extinction, with #nationalthreatedEdeciesday observed on the anniversary of the last animal’s death. But its final resting place has been subject to an 86-year-old mystery, solved this week after a discovery in the @tasmuseum archives. 1/6 pic.twitter.com/8hsto75far
The two also refute the assumption that "Benjamin" was the last known marsupial wolf. There are photos and film recordings of this animal, in which it tigers back and forth in a cage. In fact, "Benjamin" was the penultimate Tasmanian tiger, of which mankind has a testimony.
According to Paddle, the last bag wolf was an old female animal, which was caught by the traper Elias Churchill in Florentine Valley and sold to the zoo in mid -May 1936. "The sale was not officially recorded or published by the zoo, as the catching of animals with loops at that time was already illegal and Churchill should have paid a fine," says Paddle.
The arrival of the last Tasmanian tiger in the TMAG was finally confirmed by an unpublished taxidermist report from 1936/37, in which a marsupial wolf was mentioned in the list of specimens processed during the year. Paddle and Medlock had found this report. Subsequently, they checked all the skins and skeletons in question in the collection, during which the biologists then came across the longed-for preparations.
The material is now in the exhibition of the museum. Even if there are plans to revive the way with the help of genetic engineering, it should remain their fate - as a testimony that people can do.
