Creatures, Myths & Legends

Never-before-seen thylacine footage discovered

By T.K. Randall
May 19, 2020 ·  42 comments

Benjamin was held in captivity for several years. Image Credit: NSFA The black-and-white clip, which was released today by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NSFA), had been part of a 1930s travelogue entitled Tasmania the Wonderland.

The animal itself - an individual known as Benjamin - was captured on film pacing around its enclosure at Hobart Zoo in 1935, making this the last known footage of a live thylacine.

"Zookeeper Arthur Reid and an associate rattle his cage at the far right of frame, attempting to cajole some action or perhaps elicit one of the marsupial's famous threat-yawns," the NFSA wrote.Sadly Benjamin died in 1936, the year after this footage was taken.

While there have been fleeting sightings of thylacines since then, their continued existence remains a topic of hot debate with some researchers remaining adamant that the species is still out there.

You can check out the newly released footage for yourself below.


Source: News.com.au | Comments (42)

Tags: Thylacine