Did you know that the last known Tasmanian Tiger wasn't actually hunted to extinction?
The Tasmanian Tiger, also known as the Thylacine, was a carnivorous marsupial native to Tasmania, New Guinea, and mainland Australia.
Famed for its distinct, tiger-like stripes on its back and tail, it was driven to near-extinction in the wild largely due to extensive hunting by European settlers.
However, the unique creature faced its ultimate demise not in the wild, but captive in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania.
Benjamin – the name given to what is believed to be the last Thylacine – lived out his final days at Beaumaris Zoo, a far cry from the Thylacine’s natural wilderness.
Despite surviving in the wild against all odds, Benjamin sadly died on September 7, 1936 due to likely neglect; he was not let into his sheltered sleeping quarters, and subsequently perished in the harsh Tasmanian weather.
As of today, despite numerous alleged sightings and hunts, no verifiable evidence of the Thylacine's continued existence has been found.
Thus, the tragic tale of Benjamin marks the end of not just a single creature, but of an entire species, making the Tasmanian Tiger a haunting symbol of species extinction.
Tags: #Extinction #TasmanianTiger #History