.
Thylacines, like most other large carnivorous mammals, were exhibited in
zoos. Unlike the lion (Panthera leo) or the tiger (Panthera
tigris), which have been displayed in menageries since pre-Roman times,
the history of captivity for the thylacine spans just over 100 years.
The earliest known account of a captive thylacine is that which appeared
in The Hobart Town Courier on the 24th September 1831:
|
"A beautiful specimen of the male TIGER of Van Diemen's Land, is now to
be seen at George Marsden's Livery Stables, (opposite to Mr. Swan's) Elizabeth
Street. No live Tiger has ever been exhibited or seen in Hobart town
before".
Between 1850 and 1936,
thylacines were widely exhibited in zoos throughout Australia, Europe,
the United Kingdom and North America. Historically, various estimates
(Guiler 1998, Moeller 1997a, Edwards 1996, Claude 1996) have been made
regarding the number of thylacines that were displayed in zoos, the most
recent being that of Paddle (2000a). |
.
| A
crouching thylacine at the London Zoo in 1930. A total of
20 thylacines were exhibited by the London Zoo between 1850 and 1931; more
than any other zoo outside of Australia. The zoo's last thylacine,
a female, was resident from 26th January 1926 until her death on the 9th
August 1931. She was the last living thylacine to be seen outside
of Australia. |
|
.
.
| Thylacines
displayed in Zoological Gardens [Totals] |
.
| Beaumaris
[Hobart] [SB & QD] |
28 |
Estimate |
| City Park
Zoo [Launceston] |
62 |
Estimate |
| Adelaide |
17 |
Estimate |
| Melbourne |
44 |
Estimate |
| Sydney [Taronga] |
1 |
Actual |
| Sydney [Moore
Park] |
2 |
Actual |
| . |
|
|
| Australian
Totals |
154 |
|
| Estimates
after Paddle (2000) |
|
|
| . |
|
|
| London |
20 |
Actual |
| Antwerp |
1 |
Actual |
| Berlin |
4 |
Actual |
| Cologne |
2 |
Actual |
| Paris |
2 |
Actual |
| Bronx [New
York] |
4 |
Actual |
| National [Washington,
DC] |
5 |
Actual |
| . |
|
|
| International
Totals |
38 |
|
| After
Guiler, Moeller, Edwards |
|
|
| . |
|
|
| Combined Total |
192 |
|
. |
.
| When attempting to
make an accurate assessment of the total number of thylacines held captive
in zoos, it is essential to distinguish between those animals sourced from
the wild and those sourced from other zoos. With previous estimates,
this consideration was not always taken into account, and resulted in a
distortion of the true numbers. Most present day authors are in agreement
over the numbers of thylacines displayed in British, European and North
American zoos. Discrepancies arise when looking at estimates for
thylacines displayed in mainland Australian and Tasmanian zoos. Bob
Paddle (2000b) quotes the following totals for Australian zoos: Melbourne:
44, Launceston City Park: 62, Sydney: 3 (Moore Park: 2 & Taronga: 1),
Adelaide: 17 and Hobart at both its Sandy Bay and Queen's Domain locations:
28, giving a combined total of 154 thylacines. The Thylacine Museum's
own estimate for Australian zoos is somewhat higher, at 173 thylacines.
Both of these totals, however, are somewhat deceptive in that they do not
reflect regional purchases and exchanges of thylacines between zoos. |
.
.
| Thylacine
Museum estimates for thylacines displayed in Australian zoos |
.
| Beaumaris
[Sandy Bay] |
18 |
Estimate |
| Beaumaris
[Queen's Domain] |
19 |
Estimate |
| City Park
Zoo [Launceston] |
62 |
Estimate* |
| Adelaide |
17 |
Estimate* |
| Melbourne |
54 |
Estimate |
| Sydney [Taronga] |
1 |
Actual |
| Sydney [Moore
Park] |
2 |
Actual |
| . |
|
|
| Total |
173 |
|
| *
Paddle's
estimate accepted |
|
|
. |
.
| Paddle accurately states
that the Launceston City Park Zoo had the largest collection of thylacines
on display, but many of these animals were in effect temporary residents
until a suitable purchaser could be found. The zoos in Melbourne
and Adelaide sourced the majority of their thylacines from the City Park
Zoo. It is not surprising therefore that the combined total of thylacines
that Paddle quotes for these two zoos is near to the total number of thylacines
displayed at City Park. Unfortunately, a definitive account of the
movement of thylacines between mainland Australian and Tasmanian zoos is
not possible as records are either incomplete or no longer exist.
Where records do exist in the form of the minutes of the various zoological
societies, sparse attention was often given to recording the sale, exchange
or purchase of thylacines for the zoos. The minutes of the Zoological
Society of Victoria dated February 1905 simply notes: "Stock purchased
- Tasmanian tiger", giving no reference to the thylacine's sex, age
or source. The arrival of other thylacines did not warrant even those
few words. Bearing these considerations in mind, a more realistic
estimate for the total number of thylacines held in Australian zoos would
be in the range of 95 - 100 animals. This equates to approximately
40% of the total being sourced from other zoos rather than being wild caught.
In the absence of zoo records, historical newspaper articles can sometimes
be of value in filling in the gaps. In an article entitled "Tasmanian
Fauna" that appeared in the Mercury newspaper of the 5th October
1910, the number of thylacines procured for the Beaumaris Zoo (SB) between
1908 and 1910 is noted:
"Mrs. Roberts, of
Beaumaris, has shipped to Melbourne for transhipment to the London Zoological
Gardens, a pair each of Tasmanian tigers (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and
devils (Sarcophilus satanicus). Mrs. Roberts has been fortunate in
procuring no less than seven tigers (a mother and three young ones being
included) from October, 1908 to June, 1910. Of these, five have been
shipped to the London society, and the remaining two it is expected will
stay permanently at Beaumaris. Tigers and devils are most difficult
to obtain alive, being frequently injured when captured, and, in consequence,
have to be destroyed".
Prior to the disclosure
of a seventh specimen in this article, six specimens were noted on the
list of thylacines purchased by the Beaumaris Zoo (SB) for these dates. |
.
| No. |
Date |
Year |
Sex |
Place
of Capture |
Supplied
by: |
Cost |
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
06-Oct |
1908 |
F |
Dee |
? |
|
| 4 |
Jan |
1909 |
F
+ 3 pups |
Woolnorth |
? |
|
| 1 |
18-Jun |
1910 |
? |
Fingal |
Blackwood |
£8 |
| 1 |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 7 |
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
|
| . |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
. |
