|
The last known verified thylacine to be killed in the wild was that shot
by Wilfred
Batty at Mawbanna on the 6th May 1930. In an interview published
in the Australian Women's Weekly on the 24th September 1980 (pp. 40-41),
Batty recalls:
"I sold tiger for 5 pounds to Tiger Harrison, of Wynyard, who sold him
to Hobart Museum for stuffing, who sent him on tour of Australia, and I
haven't heard since where tiger is".
Harrison therefore has the dubious distinction of purchasing and selling
the remains of the last recorded wild thylacine killed in Tasmania.
The location of this specimen, and whether it still exists, is currently
unknown (Sleightholme & Ayliffe 2013). Harrison failed to secure
any further thylacines following the Batty purchase. He did, however,
continue to try. Harrison was an experienced bushman. The Advocate
of the 13th April 1927 (p. 4) notes:
"Mr. James Harrison who takes a keen interest in the fauna and flora, left
yesterday for a periodical trip to the outback of the far North-West Coast.
Harrison intends spending several days in the regions of the Arthur River
in quest of native animals and minerals"..
.
James Harrison
purchases / acquisitions of thylacines (1910 - 1930) [Incomplete]
Source:
Thylacine Museum |
.
| Date |
A/J/P/PY |
Sex |
Quantity |
Captured
by |
Capture
locality |
Purchased
(£) |
Ref |
FN |
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| (July)
1910 |
J |
F |
1 |
W.
McDonald |
Irishtown |
|
1 |
1 |
| 1912 |
|
|
1 |
Dick
Evans |
West
Montagu |
£10 |
19 |
|
| 1914 |
J |
|
3 |
A.
R. Rowe |
Brittons
Swamp |
£5
each |
2 |
|
| (June-Aug)
1915 |
A |
|
1 |
Almer
& Ted Saward |
Marrawah |
|
17 |
|
| (Oct)
1915 |
A |
F |
1 |
M.
Bourke |
20
miles from Wynyard |
|
3 |
|
| (May)
1916 |
J |
F |
1 |
Messrs.
Foy |
Top
Cage, Arthur River |
|
4 |
|
| (Jun)
1916 |
A |
M |
1 |
Frank
Upston |
Meunna |
£25 |
5 |
2 |
| (Mar)
1917 |
A |
M |
1 |
Unknown |
Elliott |
|
6 |
3 |
| (Jun)
1917 |
A |
M |
1 |
Almer
& Ted Saward |
West Montagu |
£10.3d |
7 |
4 |
| 1919/20 |
A |
F |
1 |
Unknown |
Inglis
River |
|
16 |
|
| 1919/20 |
P |
F |
1 |
Unknown |
Inglis
River |
|
16 |
|
| 1919/20 |
P |
F |
1 |
Unknown |
Inglis
River |
|
16 |
|
| Pre-1928 |
A |
|
1 |
James Harrison |
Hellyer River |
|
8 |
|
| Pre-1928 |
A |
|
1 |
James Harrison |
Parrawe |
|
8 |
5 |
| Circa
1920s |
A |
|
1 |
James
Harrison |
Trowutta |
|
18 |
|
| 1922 |
|
|
1 |
Harry
Wainwright |
South
of Arthur River |
£10 |
9 |
|
| (Aug)
1926 |
A |
|
1 |
Forward
& Harman
(4/8/1926) |
Salmon
River |
|
10 |
|
| 10/3/1928 |
J |
|
1 |
Chester
& Hope |
Arthur
River |
|
11 |
6 |
| 1929 |
|
M |
1 |
Family
of Ray "Turk" Porteus |
|
£11 |
12 |
7 |
| (Jun)
1929 |
J |
M |
1 |
Adye
Jordan |
Arthur
River (8km from West Takone) |
|
13 |
|
| 1930 |
A |
? |
1 |
Ken
Willoughby |
Arthur
River Mill |
50
shillings |
20 |
|
| 13/5/1930 |
A |
M |
1 |
Wilf
Batty |
Mawbanna |
£5 |
14 |
8 |
| Aug 1931 |
A |
M |
1 |
J. M. Kaine |
Lapoinya |
|
15 |
|
|
|
.
Total: |
.
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
.
| A/J/P/PY |
Adult
/ Juvenile / Pup |
|
Dead
specimen |
.
| References:.
1. Northwest Advocate and the Emu Bay Times 23/7/1910; 2. Ballarat Courier
5/6/1914 p. 4 & Rowe interview (1951); 3. Northwest Advocate and the
Emu Bay Times 23/10/1915 p. 4; 4. Northwest Advocate and the Emu Bay Times
13/5/1916 p. 2; 5. Archives Office of Tasmania, AOT 896/37, Thylacine Competition
Entry, Doherty, 2/9/1981; 6. Examiner 6/3/1917 p. 3; 7. Saward, A. 1990.
Experiences with the Tasmanian tiger, Circular Head Local History Journal,
3, (2) pp. 24-25 / Northwest Advocate and the Emu Bay Times 7/6/1917 p.
4 / Roberts's diary entry 13/6/1917; 8. Blackwell Interview, 1951; 9. Malley
& Brown interview (1/10/1972); 10. Circular Head Chronicle 11/8/1926
p. 5 & Mercury 24/8/1954 p. 4; 11. Burnie Advocate 20/3/1928 p. 4;
12. Mrs. Porteus (Dec 2011, pers. comm.); 13. Minutes of Zoological &
Acclimatisation Soc. Victoria, Oct / Nov 1929 & Advocate 15/2/1986
p. 6; 14. Examiner 1/5/2005; 15. Dr. S. Sleightholme (interview with descendant);
16. Phil O'Reilley interview (1973);
17. Roberts's diary & Saward, 1990; 18. QVMAG thylacine reports - Harrison,
Ref: TAHO NS463/1; 19. Moeller archives; 20. Thylacine
Expeditionary Research Team Archives, 4/10/1970, QVMAG. |
| Footnotes:
1. Amputated foot; 2. Interview - Kath Doherty, daughter of Frank Upston.
In the interview, Doherty states the thylacine was sent to Taronga, but
this is incorrect; 3. Transferred to Beaumaris Domain site upon Roberts?
death; 4. This is the specimen sold to Beaumaris Zoo [Sandy Bay] on the
13th June 1917 that was returned to Harrison with inflamed foot; 5. Sold
to Colin MacKenzie for £25; 6. Leg broken on capture; 7. This entry
is a personal recollection by Turk Porteus's wife, cited many years after
the event; 8. Last wild-killed thylacine. |
. |
.
| (Research
on this listing is ongoing and further updates will be added as they become
available.) |
.
.
James Harrison
sales of thylacines (1910 - 1930) [Incomplete]
Source:
Thylacine Museum |
.
| Date |
A/J/P/PY |
Sex |
Quantity |
Captured
by |
Sold |
Price
(£) |
Ref |
FN |
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| (July)
1910 |
J |
F |
1 |
W.
McDonald |
Melbourne
Zoo |
Donated |
1 |
1 |
| 1912 |
|
|
1 |
Dick
Evans |
|
£10 |
|
|
| (Jun)
1914 |
J |
|
3 |
A.
R. Rowe |
Melbourne
Zoo |
£45 |
2 |
|
| 1915 |
A |
F |
1 |
M.
Bourke |
Beaumaris
(SB) (23/10/1915) |
£17.10/- |
3 |
|
| (Jun)
1916 |
A |
M |
1 |
Frank
Upston |
? |
|
4 |
|
| 1916 |
J |
F |
1 |
Messrs. Foy |
Beaumaris
(SB) (09/06/1916) |
|
3 |
|
| 1917 |
A |
M |
1 |
unknown |
Beaumaris
(SB) (13/06/1917) & Beaumaris (QD) (27/11/1921 - 15/10/1922) |
£20.1/- |
3 |
|
| (Jun) 1917 |
A |
M |
1 |
Almer &
Ted Saward |
Beaumaris (SB)
(30/06/1917) |
|
|
2 |
| (Aug)
1924 |
|
|
2 |
unknown |
Beaumaris
(QD) |
£46.6/- |
|
3 |
| 1928 |
J |
M? |
1 |
unknown |
Prof.
Colin MacKenzie (11/05/1928) |
£12 |
5 |
4 |
| (May)
1928 |
J |
|
1 |
Probably Chester
& Hope capture |
Prof.
Colin MacKenzie
Melbourne
Zoo |
£50 |
5 |
|
| 1929 |
J |
M |
1 |
Adye Jordan |
Melbourne
Zoo |
£45 |
6 |
|
| 6/5/1930 |
A |
M |
1 |
Wilf
Batty |
Tasmanian Museum
(according to Batty) |
|
7 |
4 |
| Aug 1931 |
A |
M |
1 |
J. M. Kaine |
Beaumaris (QD) |
|
8 |
|
|
|
.
Total: |
.
17 |
|
|
|
|
|
.
| A/J/P/PY |
Adult
/ Juvenile / Pup |
|
Dead
specimen |
.
| References:.
1. Northwest Advocate and the Emu Bay Times 23/7/1910; 2. Minutes of Zoological
& Acclimatisation Soc. Victoria, Jun 1914; 3. Roberts's diary; 4. Archives
Office of Tasmania, AOT 896/37, Thylacine Competition Entry, Doherty, 2/9/1981;
5. Noted as available for purchase in Harrison's notebook and subsequently
purchased by MacKenzie; 6. Minutes of Zoological & Acclimatisation
Soc. Victoria, Oct / Nov 1929 & Advocate 15/2/1986 p. 6; 7. Examiner
1/5/2005; 8. Dr. S. Sleightholme (interview with descendant). |
| Footnotes.
1. Amputated foot; 2. Returned 3/7/1917 with inflamed foot; 3. Not exhibited
at Beaumaris [QD]; 4. Dead specimen. |
. |
.
| (Research
on this listing is ongoing and further updates will be added as they become
available.) |
The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times of the 10th November 1909
(p. 4) notes:
"Mr. James Harrison and two or three men intend starting in a few days
time to find a track from Wynyard to Balfour. Mr. Harrison expects
to be back in a fortnight, when he will report fully about his trip".
Harrison cut a track at reduced cost from Myalla to the Arthur River for
the Ministry of Mines, in greater part to open up areas for trapping native
animals. In a letter to James Balfour Scott, the Secretary for Mines,
dated 29th May 1935, Harrison outlined his proposal:
"Dear Sir,
Following our
conversation this morning (on phone). I would like you to give me
your answer within a few days as I have a lot of animals to secure for
the Museum in Hobart also for the Zoological Park in Melbourne. I
have offered to cut the tracks cheaply as I can obtain these animals over
the Arthur River and the winter is the best time to catch them. Awaiting
you esteemed reply".
Undoubtedly, the only animal worthy of this considerable effort would have
been the thylacine.
James Harrison died peacefully at his local hospital in Wynyard on the
29th
September 1943, aged 83
years. He will be remembered as the last of Tasmania's "tiger" men. |
