Wilf Batty shot this thylacine on May6. 1930. It found it killing chickens in his hen house, so he shot it.
It is the last official wild thylacine.
He may have killed the last one, and I’m sure we’re all going to condemn him for doing so.
And we should.
But one should also keep in mind that this was a poor Tasmanian homesteader, who was trying to make a go of it in the bush.
The dog played no role in hunting this thylacine. Batty claimed that dogs always feared thylacines. After all, a thylacine had a much more powerful bite than any dog. When Batty brought the thylacine body home, his dogs took off and didn’t come back for three days.
Very cool. I’ve always loved reading about thylacines!
Wilf Batty is the best name ever.