The Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine, continues to capture public imagination. Its unique appearance and relatively recent disappearance fuel curiosity about its existence. While the idea of this striped marsupial roaming Tasmania’s wilderness persists in popular culture, scientific consensus offers a definitive answer. The thylacine’s story illustrates human impact on biodiversity.
The Current Status
The definitive answer to how many Tasmanian tigers are left in the world is none; the species is officially extinct. The last known individual, affectionately named Benjamin, died on September 7, 1936, at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania. This event marked the end of the species in captivity. Despite occasional unconfirmed sightings, no scientific evidence suggests the thylacine continues to exist in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially declared the thylacine extinct in 1982, with the Tasmanian government following suit in 1986.
The Path to Extinction
The demise of the Tasmanian tiger was a complex process driven by several interconnected factors, primarily initiated by European settlement in Australia. When Europeans arrived in Tasmania, an estimated 5,000 thylacines lived on the island. They were perceived as a threat to newly introduced livestock, particularly sheep, despite evidence suggesting they were not significant predators of these animals. This perception led to widespread persecution.
Bounty schemes played a significant role in their decline. The Van Diemen’s Land Company introduced bounties on thylacines as early as 1830. Between 1888 and 1909, the Tasmanian government offered £1 for each adult thylacine killed and ten shillings for pups. Over 2,180 bounties were paid out during this period. This intensive hunting drastically reduced their numbers.
Habitat destruction, as settlers cleared land for agriculture, further fragmented thylacine populations. Introduced species, such as wild dogs, also posed competition for resources and may have contributed to their decline. There is also speculation that a distemper-like disease affected the remaining population, further weakening the species already under immense pressure. These combined pressures led to a rapid and irreversible population collapse, culminating in their extinction.
Beyond Extinction
Despite its official extinction, the Tasmanian tiger continues to be a subject of considerable public interest and scientific inquiry. Unconfirmed sightings persist, fueling cryptozoological interest and hope that the species might still exist in remote areas of Tasmania. These reports, while numerous, lack verifiable evidence.
Modern scientific initiatives are exploring the possibility of “de-extinction” for the thylacine, leveraging advancements in genetic technology. Companies like Colossal Biosciences, in collaboration with institutions such as the University of Melbourne, are actively working on sequencing the thylacine’s genome. Researchers have successfully sequenced a high-quality genome from preserved specimens. The goal is to use gene-editing techniques to modify the DNA of a closely related living marsupial, such as the fat-tailed dunnart, to create an animal genetically similar to the thylacine. This undertaking aims not only to bring back a proxy of the species but also to develop technologies that can aid in the conservation of currently endangered marsupials.