Not only does the ‘extinct’ Tasmanian tiger still exist, but the Government knows and is keeping it under wraps.
That is the claim of tiger researcher Col Bailey, who believes he saw one of the elusive creatures in deep bush land more than 20 years ago, just 10 feet away from him.
He told 2GB he had seen the tiger near a creek in Weld Valley, an area of thick bush land which has been the site of a battle between the Forestry industry and activists for years.
It is for this reason Mr Bailey believes the Government is so keen to keep the existence of the Tasmanian tiger a secret.
Tasmanian tiger researcher Col Bailey says he believes there is a colony of Tasmanian tigers in the wilderness – and the Government knows about it
Mr Bailey claims the Government are reluctant to share the news because they fear it could have a negative impact on logging work in the Weld Valley
Footage released this week of a mysterious four-legged animal in Hobart has stirred speculation it could be a Tasmanian Tiger
‘It’s a logging area,’ he explained. ‘[If tigers are proven to be there] The Greens are going to scream, lock it up, lock it up!’
‘That’s what the forestry industry and the Government are really scared of happening because the moment they do that, the public are on their side.’
He believes the shut-down of the valley would put a complete end to logging in the area.
‘They know it’s there, of course the Government knows it’s there, but they’re keeping it quiet and that’s one of the main reasons – because it would take over the logging, just cut it out,’ he said.
Thursday marks the 81st anniversary of the death of the last confirmed tiger to exist.
It comes as footage recorded in November and only recently released claims to show a Tasmanian tiger in nearby Maydena bush land.
The video, recorded in November, was showcased at a press conference led by the Booth Richardson Tiger Team
The Booth Richardson Tiger Team have been attempting to prove thylacine still roams the wilderness, and set up 14 cameras within a 50 kilometre radius of Maydena and changed the sites each fortnight.
Members of the team claimed at Wednesday’s press conference the recording picked up soundbites of the animal barking and nosing their camera.
Adrian ‘Richo’ Richardson has dedicated 26 years of his life to confirming the tiger is still alive and is now sure of its modern day existence, the ABC reported.
‘I don’t think it’s a thylacine, I know it’s a thylacine, Mr Richardson said.
Greg Booth told attendees of the moment he spotted the elusive tiger on Good Friday in 2015.
‘I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t sleep for days afterwards,’ he said.
Adrian ‘Richo’ Richardson has dedicated 26 years of his life to confirming the tiger is still alive and is now sure of it’s modern day existence
The team have been attempting to prove thylacine still roams the wilderness
He described the animal he saw as having a big head, with the Tasmanian tiger trademark long snout and a scar.
‘Its ears were pointed and it had white around the eyes with dark brown eyes set back in the skull of the animal.’
Mr Booth said he was about eight feet away from it and could clearly make out the stripes as well as the tail which was straight before curling at the end.
Seeing the animal in person gave researchers the motivation to go ahead with the project which picked up the footage.
But the film hasn’t convinced everyone, with one wildlife expert saying there’s only a 20 per cent chance it was a tiger and that it was more likely to be a spotted quoll.
‘I think based on anatomy, movement, behaviour size, I think it is perhaps a one-in-five chance it’s a thylacine.’
The group will release the footage to other experts for review.