Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) Sighting Reports: State Unknown
Reports from other states and countries can be accessed here.
NB: Please note that I have taken the liberty of quoting liberally from all sources. This is only to make it easier for the reader to access these reports which would otherwise be spread over many websites and other mediums (e.g. newspaper articles, books, CD's etc.). In all cases I have clearly cited the source.
SU.1961.xx.xx
"I took a book out of our school library which gives the date of the last Thylacine sighting as 1961!!! I showed my Dad why and he said that a woman took some pictures of a creature which she believed to be a Thylacine in 1961 but they were blurry black and whites showing mostly the Thylacine's rump. Apparently after the photographs were published (my Dad said he thinks it was in The Australian Post), experts agreed that the structure of the creature's rump was not that of a Thylacine and probably most likely a feral dog."
SU.c1966.xx.xx
At a meet and greet organised by thylacine researcher Neil Waters, held in Adelaide on Sunday 27 November, 2016:
"Almost 100 people attended the group’s first meet-and-greet event, held in Adelaide on Sunday – among them a woman who told Waters of seeing a thylacine 50 years ago."
Source: Hunt, Elle. (2016). Tasmanian tiger sightings: 'I represent 3,000 people who have been told they’re nuts'. The Guardian (Australia), Thursday 1 December.
SU.1970's.xx.xx
"I was sent footage taken in the mid 70's...The film I have was taken from a car. The thylacine moves from the right side of the road to the left. The entire video is maybe 10 seconds. I have watched it many times.. mostly frame by frame. I have spent a good portion of my life studying animal behavior and have never seen an animal move like this one did. Also, at the very end of this video, there is a blue car coming the other direction. Hope that helps!
I wrote to the person that sent me the video and gave them my 'take' on the movement.. this is what I sent.
The animal is a very heavy mover and isn't used to that sort of speed. By the time it reaches the far side of the road it's tiring considerably, meaning it looks like it could stop at any second. Something must have really spooked it. It looks awkward, I suppose would be the right term. It moves like a great dane would move but it shouldn't move like that because it's legs are much more compact. And that tail!!!!! The tail doesn't move much at all, but then it wasn't turning.. just running mostly straight. I don't imagine it would be very easy for that animal to take tight or quick turns. Most animals with any sort of jointed tail use it as a sort of a rudder. That tail doesn't look like it's flexible enough to be used like that.. it looks way too heavy.
Looking at it frame by frame, you can tell it's striped from right behind the withers/shoulders to mid tail. (as far as I could tell) It also looks male to me. The one thing that bothered me about the video was the ears. The pictures of the thylacines that I've seen look to have very thick ears that stand upright. The video shows the ears on the animal doing a good deal of 'flopping around'. That could be because it's not so much running as it is slamming off the ground. Very very heavy mover. I also noticed the awkwardness of the strides it was taking. It was obviously spooked but still wasn't taking, what I would call, full strides. Very choppy movements. The films taken of thylacines in the zoos show they have withers instead of shoulders, which would (usually) mean more freedom of movement. But the tylacine still doesn't move like it has a 'normal' range of movement for an animal built like that.
. I said that the animal looked like it wasn't used to moving that quickly. Well, the first time I watched it this morning I realized WHY it looked so awkward. It changed leads 3 or 4 times from one side of the road to the other. In horse-speak a "lead" is whichever front foot the horse starts off with in a gallop or canter. This guy on the film changes several times. It was as if he wasn't sure exactly how to go about that running business and kept changing his mind.
Our little friend in the film is left handed. He is much more comfortable on the left lead. His strides lenghten a bit and his head drops down for a more streamlined effect.. but then he switches again and the head comes back up, the strides get shorter and more choppy"
SU.1997.xx.xx
May refer to the same event as SU.c1998.xx.xx:
"I almost ran over one (well something that looked a hell of a lot like one) in 1997."
SU.c1998.xx.xx
George Simpson's encounter (may refer to the same event as SU.1997.xx.xx):
"I don't believe the one I almost ran over was extinct. That was 20 years ago."
Source: https://www.facebook.com/AUSRFRA/posts/1629884853977518
SU.199X/200X?.xx.xx
"Did anyone here get a look at an old Landline program from the ABC....showing an inland station suffering with salinity...(which the program was actually about)? During some footage shot at the edge of a salt flat with water, the voice over mentions how wildlife came here to drink...and would you believe it...there in the background...a thylacine wanders in to the waters edge.....in full view of the cameras. The Animal X team that shot the doco here last year for Discovery Channel tried to use the film but were not allowed......
amazing but true. They had no idea that this was on the footage but they do now and I would not mind betting that it would be extremely difficult to get a look at that footage again!"
SU.2009.1/6.xx & SU.20XX.xx.xx
A single witness, a woman of unknown age. The following account is from a neighbour detailing two sightings she made.
"Same neighbour saw a small one and then a larger one. Possibly the smaller one all grown up. She described this dog-like animal which trotted toward her parked car as she watched out of her window. It made its way in front of three parked cars and then it effortlessly sprang up and over a bush and a fence into the pool area. It then walked slowly to the other side of the pool area. Again it sprang effortlessly over the other wall. At that point, she saw it leap about 15 feet toward a large hedge and then she saw it again walking toward the back of the pool office. Some of the workers barbecue back there, so maybe the smells attracted it there. This was at 10 p.m. after everyone had already left for the day. I went on line and printed pictures of different cats, thinking she had seen a cat. She kept saying NO. This has a muzzle like a dog, not a cat. Where are the stripes? She insisted the stripes were very distinctive and the face was ugly and the tail was very long. I finally found a dog-like striped animal to show her and she said, “Yes! That’s it!” I showed her a picture of the Thylacine. That’s the first time either one of us has ever seen or heard of a Thylacine. I hope this is really it. We’re excited! Is there a trapper who can catch it to re-locate it and preserve it and keep it safe? We sure hope so. We never go out after dark any more. No more! Too scary!"
Source: http://members.ii.net/~lawley/thylacine/anecdotes/index.html
SU.XXXX.xx.xx #1-3+
Tamara Henson, video game designer, posted this comment on a blog post by well known cryptozoologist Karl Shuker:
"According to the original commentary for the DVD of the Howling 3 (2002-2007 edition, later versions lack the commentary) the director originally wanted a thylacine scene so made up a dog to resemble that animal. Before shooting, however, the animal escaped and several mainland thylacine sightings were the result.
It may be informative to find out the date and location of that movie[']s shooting to see if any reports date from that location and time. If so those reports can probably be eliminated."
Source: http://karlshuker.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-beast-of-buderim-is-australian.html
SU.XXXX.xx.xx #4-5
Ian Dangerfield:
"we saw a photo of one shot in a chook pen not too far from where we saw alive one. we never told anyone as they would think we were mad"
Source: http://pub48.bravenet.com/guestbook/4121966821/
SU.XXXX.xx.xx #6
Michelle Miller:
"I have seen this myself,and my goat and dog stood very still while it was in the bush in the same area staring at us,I think it may have been after the goat,it was tan in color and had a large head,when it realized we were aware of it,it took off in large bounds,you could hear it crashing through the bush. I have not told anyone where it is because I fear it will be shot or captured,when it should be left in peace. I have also seen a large black thing resembling a panther here where I live about four years ago,stalking,I told the local dog-catcher,he thought I was nuts,but I know what I saw,the tail was too long,and curled at the end to have been a dog,it wasn’t scared of me either!!!"
Source: https://weirdaustralia.com/2012/07/05/phantom-animal-prowling-tasmanians-huon-valley
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