Australian Mystery Animals

Northern region of New South Wales has a thylacine-like mystery animal: "Perhaps these animals are just mangy foxes or wild dogs. Farmers and other rural dwellers regularly observe these introduced species. However, the descriptions sound more like an animal that is supposed to be extinct. The strange, waddling gait, the kangaroo-like tail and the brown bands across the back remind us of the remarkable thylacine." (News source.)

The same writer records 50 sightings of thylacine-like animals, that he received during 10 years on an Australian radio program. (News source.)

And, a veterinarian opines that the mystery animals reported at Maraylya are possibly introduced black leopards. (News source.)

Australian Mainland Sighting: Thylacine?

From the news:

"Victorian farmer Harry Cook owns a property bordering the Otway Ranges south of Melbourne.
"Late last year he was with a mate inspecting crop damage caused by rabbits when they spotted three wedge-tailed eagles circling the paddock.
"'They were circling over an animal -- we got within 12 foot of it. It was about the size of a large dog with a very long tail that was sticking straight up in the air as if it was fending off the wedgies,' Mr Cook said.
"'There were white stripes on its chest and it had a boofy head with round ears and the side of the muzzle was white.'
"He copped a lot of flak for reporting the peculiar sight, but not because no one believed him.
"'Farmers around here told me I had broken the code of silence -- that they had seen things too, but as soon as it is reported all the townies come with their rifles trying to shoot it.'"

Dingos vs Thylacines

Pack-hunting dingos outcompeted the lone hunter thylacines by having better anatomical resistance to the mechanical stress of killing larger prey. (News source.)

Thylacine Research

A researcher with the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA is testing animal scat from the 1950s and 1960s to determine whether any were left by thylacines. The scat was collected in Tasmania by Eric Guiler, a thylacine expert, who thought they possibly came from thylacines. (News source.)

Thylacine Hunt

The German tourist who claimed to have photographed a thylacine in Tasmania in 2005 is returning to that island to search for more evidence. From the news:

"German tourists Klaus Emmerichs and Birgit Jansen snapped two digital photos of what they claimed was the animal in Tasmania's rugged forests while on holiday in 2005.
"Mr Emmerichs has come back to join Col Bailey, who also claims to have seen a tiger in 1967, to try to capture the animal on video." ...
"Mr Emmerichs recalled the moment he said he saw the animal.
"'I came from high and he can't see me. He had his nose down and was snuffing,' he said on the ABC.
"'I want to prove that it is not extinct, like the people think and the world thinks.'
"Mr Emmerichs said he and Ms Jansen had no idea the tiger, which drank at a creek then loped away, was supposed to be extinct.
"Experts initially believed the night photos showed portions of a Thylacine obscured by foliage, but later examinations led to accusations of a set-up, ending a bid to sell the pictures for $25,000."