The last known thylacine died at Beaumaris Zoo in 1936.
Being extinct hasn’t stopped the elusive Tasmanian tiger from making an appearance every once in a while.
One of the best known examples of a species driven to extinction by human hunting, these striped carnivorous marsupials have been the subject of numerous unconfirmed sightings over the years.
The most recent, which took place in the town of Inverloch, was reported by local resident Barrie Murphy who spotted a strange creature while out driving earlier this month.
“At about 10.30pm, I was driving along Ullathorne Road when it crossed the road in front of me,” he said. “First of all, I thought it was a fox or a cat, but as it moved off the bitumen on to the green verge, I realised it was dog sized, about the same as an Alsatian.”
“It was the long, straight tail, which could have been a metre long. It was straight out, white and strong looking. The thing that really made me twig was, as I drove past it, I saw the stripes down its side and onto its flank.”
His sighting is far from unique as there have been at least two other reports of alleged thylacines in the Inverloch area in recent months including one at a caravan park back in December.
“I thought I would report it so other people can keep a lookout,” said Murphy.
