Thylacines (Post-1936 Sightings)

[lordmongrove]

Tasmanian wolf in Northern Australia three generations ago?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-28/could-the-tasmanian-tiger-still-roam-the-top-end/9807296

 

[Brig]

I still have high hopes they are not extinct.

 

[Kingsize Wombat]

I'd never wager against Aboriginal oral tradition. It's been proven to be spot on too many times.

 

[oldrover]

I'd never wager against Aboriginal oral tradition. It's been proven to be spot on too many times.

How do you mean?

 

[oldrover]

Oh I think I see, as in the traditions of the N E? Sorry was getting confused.

 

[Kingsize Wombat]

Oh I think I see, as in the traditions of the N E? Sorry was getting confused.

Well, like this for example. There are more like that too.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/australia/7000-year-old-indigenous-story-proved-true.aspx

 

[Brig]

Fascinating. These people also witness "the wolf". They speak also of a strange man-like creature. It pays to pay attention. These natives take their stories very seriously.

 

[oldrover]

Well, like this for example. There are more like that too.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/australia/7000-year-old-indigenous-story-proved-true.aspx

I'veno doubt whatsoever of the value of Aboriginal tradition, but I'm very catious about accepting it when it relates to the thylacine, not because I'm doubting what they say as such, but because I'm doubting the interpretation of who says they said it. There's a very well known example of this in Paddle's 2000 book where he cites oral tradition of the thylacine from the Finders Range. Except when you go to his reference material, as Branden Holmes of the Recently Extinct Plants and Animals Database did, you find that it's not at all related to the thylacine at all.

 

[Kingsize Wombat]

not because I'm doubting what they say as such, but because I'm doubting the interpretation of who says they said it.

That's a very good point. To me it means further investigation is needed.

 

[Andy Saunders]

Just an information request please, l would like to find out more about Wilf Batty, regarding the year of his interview regarding the Tiger and year of his passing.... while l am at it any information really on the man as l am not having a great deal of luck surfing the net at the moment, if anybody could help.......

 

[oldrover]

Just an information request please, l would like to find out more about Wilf Batty, regarding the year of his interview regarding the Tiger and year of his passing.... while l am at it any information really on the man as l am not having a great deal of luck surfing the net at the moment, if anybody could help.......

Yeah no problem. A friend of mine was involved in the Batty TV interview. Wilf was born in Bradford in 1904, died in 1989, I assume in Mawbanna. Which interview are you asking about though, radio or TV, I believe one was 1996, the earlier one I'll ask my friend, and the radio interview I don't know but it's here

I know people who knew him so if there's anything particular you'd like to know let me know so I can ask them.

 

[oldrover]

I take it you know about the photos, and the one that came up for auction recently? And that his is the penultimate certain record of a tiger in the wild.

 

[Xanatic*]

It doesn't seem like there is much to connect the aboriginal story and the specific eruption of Kinrara. The dating technique they used for the eruption is even +/- 2000 years. That seems a fairly large error margin.

 

[oldrover]

It doesn't seem like there is much to connect the aboriginal story and the specific eruption of Kinrara. The dating technique they used for the eruption is even +/- 2000 years. That seems a fairly large error margin.

But equally surely the method of dating the age of the tradition isn't that accurate either so it evens out? Either way +/- 2,000 years is still well within the area's occupation period.

 

[Andy Saunders]

Yeah no problem. A friend of mine was involved in the Batty TV interview. Wilf was born in Bradford in 1904, died in 1989, I assume in Mawbanna. Which interview are you asking about though, radio or TV, I believe one was 1996, the earlier one I'll ask my friend, and the radio interview I don't know but it's here

I know people who knew him so if there's anything particular you'd like to know let me know so I can ask them.

Doh! It says 1974, is there more than one interview?

I want to know everything please OR, thanks you have been very helpful.

" l haven't finished yet!"

 

[oldrover]

Doh! It says 1974, is there more than one interview?

I want to know everything please OR, thanks you have been very helpful.

" l haven't finished yet!"

I meant to mention that remark.

There are several interviews, one tells of how he didn't intend to kill the animal initially, but it basically went wrong.

I believe the body was purchased by James Harrison of Wynyard, and he may well have sold it to Colin McKenzie, an orthopaedic surgeon based in Melbourne.

Trouble is Wilf isn't someone I've needed to look into, obviously I'm interested in the incident, but my area is Beaumaris Zoo. I've written a biography of Elias Churchill, and will be doing so forWalter Mullins, and Dan Delphin, but I won't be covering Wilf, but if you have speciffic questions post them, and I'll get answers for you.

 

[oldrover]

I'll post linjs to the other interviews.

 

[oldrover]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=w...d=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=QIQL7etoYnjDeM:

First link is to a newspaper article with Wilf as the main photo, posing with his rifle (not the same one).

 

[oldrover]

Spoke to my friend, he thinks there is only one film interview and that was late 80's. Originally for NZ TV, but re-used in the 1996 documentary The Tasmanian Tiger, available at link, starts around 15 minutes in. https://www.facebook.com/ThylacineMan/videos/1253926204749219/

 

[Mungoman]

Yeah no problem. A friend of mine was involved in the Batty TV interview. Wilf was born in Bradford in 1904, died in 1989, I assume in Mawbanna. Which interview are you asking about though, radio or TV, I believe one was 1996, the earlier one I'll ask my friend, and the radio interview I don't know but it's here

I know people who knew him so if there's anything particular you'd like to know let me know so I can ask them.

Interesting. Old rover - that dog in the photo looks shit scared, and he's looking pointedly at the Tigers carcass.

They used to reckon that a Thylacine would put the wind up canines - it seems that it's true.

I'll tuck that bit of information away.

 

[oldrover]

Interesting. Old rover - that dog in the photo looks shit scared, and he's looking pointedly at the Tigers carcass.

They used to reckon that a Thylacine would put the wind up canines - it seems that it's true.

I'll tuck that bit of information away.

Yes, that photo has been used to illustrate that point. But there's another photo taken moments before or after that shows the dog looking completely relaxed.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=w...d=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=jwJknnxDNPmiJM:

 

[oldrover]

The Advicate says in the link above this is the last known photograph of a thylacine? It's not by a long shot, there are three films and quite a few stills after this. As it happens another chap and I have recently identified the actual last kniwn photo of a thylacine, paper to follow too.

This is a very big male tiger though that Batty shot. Note the way in which rigir mortis has set in with the kegs supporting the body and the tail stiff out straight. Poor soul.

 

[lordmongrove]

New Yoker article on thylacines https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/02/the-obsessive-search-for-the-tasmanian-tiger

 

[Mungoman]

Yes, that photo has been used to illustrate that point. But there's another photo taken moments before or after that shows the dog looking completely relaxed.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wilf batty auction photo&oq=wilf batty auction photo&aqs=chrome..69i57.11656j1j7&client=tablet-android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=jwJknnxDNPmiJM:

Oh I dunno OR - he still looks tense in the alternate photo - his shoulders are set and his head's still down...on second thoughts maybe it's the shotgun?

I've had a second decco at the first photo, and that dogs eyes are focussed more on the gun. Maybe he's gunshy.

We would break a dog in to a shotty by waiting until it was feeding, then fire of a couple of cartridges each time - it seemed to work.

I've got an old retired working dog at my hearth who is very gunshy...or whipshy. When the fires going in winter and I put on fresh wood, it gets a bit vocal, sounding much like a whip or a .222 and the old fellow doesn't hang around - he's off like the proverbial shot out of a gun.

 

[oldrover]

Oh I dunno OR - he still looks tense in the alternate photo - his shoulders are set and his head's still down...on second thoughts maybe it's the shotgun?

I've had a second decco at the first photo, and that dogs eyes are focussed more on the gun. Maybe he's gunshy.

We would break a dog in to a shotty by waiting until it was feeding, then fire of a couple of cartridges each time - it seemed to work.

I've got an old retired working dog at my hearth who is very gunshy...or whipshy. When the fires going in winter and I put on fresh wood, it gets a bit vocal, sounding much like a whip or a .222 and the old fellow doesn't hang around - he's off like the proverbial shot out of a gun.

That might well be it. My old dog was petrified of guns.

 

[oldrover]

Andy, there's one radio interview, one TV, one magazine, a couple of contemporary newspaper articles. The Magazine and radio articles are here,for theTVversion you need to be on Facebook to view it. As for the newspaper articleyou jeed to search round the Trove for all the mentions, but thus us tye main piece.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/84936684/7330341

 

[CuriousIdent]

New Yoker article on thylacines https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/02/the-obsessive-search-for-the-tasmanian-tiger

The one thing that stands out in that article is the reminder that we, The British, really fucked up with Australasia in general. Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania were home to such a fascinating array of visually improbable creatures. The fact that the platypus is both venomous and looks like a ridiculous fake of creature is the clearest example of that.

Marsupials are fascinating, and localised to this area of the Earth. The Empire just wanted to clear out land for farming and for more penal colonies, never truly questioning what they were destroying in the process. The Thylacine being almost certainly hunted to extinction may seem carelessly inhumane, but when you hear how collectors picked apart the body of the 'last' aboriginal Tasmanian man like a trophy creature it hardly seems unusual in comparison.

 

[oldrover]

The one thing that stands out in that article is the reminder that we, The British, really fucked up with Australasia in general. Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania were home to such a fascinating array of visually improbable creatures. The fact that the platypus is both venomous and looks like a ridiculous fake of creature is the clearest example of that.

Marsupials are fascinating, and localised to this area of the Earth. The Empire just wanted to clear out land for farming and for more penal colonies, never truly questioning what they were destroying in the process. The Thylacine being almost certainly hunted to extinction may seem carelessly inhumane, but when you hear how collectors picked apart the body of the 'last' aboriginal Tasmanian man like a trophy creature it hardly seems unusual in comparison.

It's complicated. The thylacine wasn't really hunted to extinction because of farming, although the farmers did want it out of tje way. The evidence is best supporting tje idea tjat fur trading led to mass trapping in Tasmania, and it was tjese fur trappers who were also catching thylacines. And in significant numbers.

Marsupials are fascinating.

 

[Jim]

[QUOTE="oldrover, post: 1767871,
Marsupials are fascinating.[/QUOTE]
We have plenty of opossums around our place. They're one of the most common mammals around here, right up there w squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. Unfortunately they have a habit of crossing the street at night and then freezing up in the road when they spot a car, thus lending themselves to getting hit by cars (poor critters).

 

[oldrover]

[QUOTE="oldrover, post: 1767871,
Marsupials are fascinating.

We have plenty of opossums around our place. They're one of the most common mammals around here, right up there w squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. Unfortunately they have a habit of crossing the street at night and then freezing up in the road when they spot a car, thus lending themselves to getting hit by cars (poor critters).[/QUOTE]
Your Virginia opposum is one of my favourite animals. They're fabulous things. I envy you having them around you. If you ever get any pictures I'd love to see them.