Most sources will quote mainland thylacine extinction at 2000 years at least. A few sources have picked up on Paddle’s research (book, 2000) which located documents that suggest a thylacine was killed in the Blue Mountains east of Sydney less than 200 years ago, and another in South Australia about the same time.

That being the case, all of a sudden the 5000 or so sightings gain some credibility.

Does a 200 year old carcass count as sufficient evidence to act on the sightings reports today?

Chris.

Given we’re talking mainland as well – there’s no reason why colouration shouldn’t be different to that we know from Tasmania.

Look forward to your story! If you want to keep the location secret, you should. There are certainly reputable people and organisations who would properly protect that information. Perhaps you should seek them out? Best starting place I’d say, is WA’s equivalent of the National Parks service.

Chris.

I have never looked closely at the details about Thylacine’s to confirm the following fact which was told to me by the friend mentioned above. This is important for my own sighting, if indeed it was such.

Is there any information about them being much lighter coloured and in fact the stripes being less visible or even invisible for part of the year?

I lived for ten years in the south of the state, in what is known as tall timber country. I know a person who claims to have seen a Thylacine, quite close, once in bush in that part of the world. I may also have seen one, though at the time I didn’t recognise it due to my lack of knowledge of the change of colouration which occured when they moulted for Summer, apparently.

I well return shortly to detail these things, but since it now occurs to me to write about this thing, I must do so properly, and thoughtfully. This is best enabled on my own blog, but I shall be back.

By the way. I have been a regular reader of Cryptomundo, for a while, and enjoy your efforts Loren. I have only now registered, in order to pass on what the Rabbit may have to offer the Thylacine story.

Indeed I am feeling somewhat of two minds even now. There is a strong feeling of reluctance to tell too closely the location to be honest. My friend who had first told me of his sighting, and who consequently recognised something I reported as having been a Thylacine, told me of his own reluctance to encourage anyone to seek it, to disturb its peace.

Like him I have the strangest feeling that this creature is incredibly stealthy, and has managed to remain completely hidden these many decades, out of a conscious choice.

Nevertheless, I shall be as accurate and truthful in my report as possible and will just ask that any who would think of seeking this animal out, or indeed any creature which would appear shy to such an infinite degree, give some thought to the intelligence and “spiritual rights” of such creature.

If the Thylacine is so completely shy of human contact as it may seem, then who can blame it? Is our scientific curiosity more important than a species’ right to secrecy?

Well I have thought about this a lot, and after about ten years, I have decided to go with the scientifc curiosity. All the while, I cannot help but feel that if the Thylacine not only exists still, but even is more widespread in Oz than generally ever recognised, then it is no doubt so crafty no amount of random expeditions are likely to flush it out before it is ready.

The sighting reports and a computer analysis of likely habitats do indicate several likely mainland populations in addition to the Tasmanian one.

That article is an interesting one, it goes into the efforts to clone thylacines a la Jurassic Park. For instance, I didn’t know that they recently succeeded in breeding a guanaco and camel hybrid. Interesting stuff.