A brief history of the demise of our Tassie Tiger.
Fossil records show that it lived on the Australian mainland as well.
It is suspected that the when the Dingo arrived some 15,000** years ago, food competion was too strong for the Tiger. Wiping it out on the mainland.
Dingoes did not get across Bass Strait. However after Europeans arrived in Tassie a canine disease struck the Tigers. Similar to distemper. It eventually destroyed the Tiger population.
- 1830 Van Diemens Land Co. introduced a thylacine bounties.
- 1888 Tasmanian Parliament placed a price of £1 on thylacine's head.
- 1909 Government bounty scheme terminated. 2184 bounties paid.
- 1910 Thylacines rare -- sought by zoos around the world.
- 1926 London Zoo bought its last thylacine for £150.
- 1933 Last thylacine captured, Florentine Valley, sold Hobart Zoo.
- 1936 World's last captive thylacine died in Hobart Zoo, ( 7/9/36).
- 1936 Tasmanian tiger added to the list of protected Wildlife.
- 1986 Thylacine declared extinct by international standards.
The extinction is wholly attributed to European settlers arriving in Tassie, through culling and introduced canine diseases.
Cheers
** 15,000 years, some say 8,000 years. Depends on reference.
.. I do not accept collective responsibility and collective feel of guilt)
