On tail of Tassie Tiger
SCIENTISTS will comb the wilds of Cape York for any traces of Tasmanian tigers.
James Cook University announced yesterday it would launch a search for the enigmatic marsupial, that is thought to be long extinct from Australia.
JCU Professor Bill Laurance said he had spoken at length to two locals, who provided plausible and detailed descriptions of animals that could potentially be Tasmanian tigers, also known as thylacines.
“One of those observers was a long-time employee of the Queensland National Parks Service, and the other was a frequent camper and out- doorsman in North Queensland,” he said.
“All observations of putative Thylacines to date have been at night and, in one case, four animals were observed at close range – about 20 feet away – with a spotlight.”
The field survey will use more than 50 hi-tech camera traps to examine prospective sites on the Cape.
The trip will begin in April, as the researchers wait for high river levels on Cape York to recede, and also to receive appropriate permits.