Those who have had thylacines cross their path often get all silly about it, with the obsessive pursuit of evidence becoming their new life quest.
So far, despite the wonders of affordable no-glow trailcams, camera drones and what-not, Tasmania’s surviving thylacines have remained elusive, leaving witnesses gibbering to anyone who’ll listen how the animals are still here (they are).
Fortunately, the pursuit of tiger evidence is not without its rewards, even when the tigers don’t show.
Our hidden cameras and evening wanderings with a Canon SLR have picked up several devils, some of which do not have facial cancers, eastern bandicoots, feral cats, wombats, wallabies great and small, echidnas, possums with their young, eagles, and other birds.
The big devil in the picture does unfortunately appear to have a smooth lump on its jaw, but it’s hard to know if it is a cancer or just the jawline. The photo is interesting because it demonstrates that sheep aren’t too fussed by them being around, although the youngest lambs might disagree, as three late ones simply disappeared this year.
We wait patiently for the thylacines’ return, it has been a long eight years, and I do wish they’d hurry as I can’t live forever, and battery purchases are sending me broke.
For those of you who read this at the time of posting, have a great Xmas.