When the thylacine started to become very scarce in Tasmania, zoos and
museums became increasingly interested in these large marsupials.
Some of them offered considerable sums of money to obtain thylacines for
exhibition to their visitors. A report from London on 14 May 1850
reads: "Through the generosity of the Right Honorable Ronald Gunn
and Dr. Grant of Launceston, the animal collection has been enhanced by
the arrival in good condition of two live specimens of Thylacinus cynocephalus..."
.
| A
photo taken in 1913 of a thylacine that was kept at the London Zoo (also
known as Regent's Park Zoo). |
|
This first confirmation of live thylacines (a male and female) abroad was
that published by R. Gunn in the proceedings of the Zoological Society
in London. Over the next 75 years, the London Zoo received a further
18 thylacines from Tasmania, with at least three on record as being
dead on arrival, although six of them lived longer than four years and
one of them up to eight years and five months before becoming "museum pieces". |
The last surviving thylacine outside of Australia died on 9 August 1931
at the London Zoo, where she had been on display since 26 January 1926.
A number of superb photographs of her have been preserved, as well as a
very brief film
sequence.
|
The London Zoo was a transit hub for thylacines on route to Paris (Jardin
des Plantes) from the Melbourne Zoo, and for the New York (Bronx) Zoo from
the Beaumaris Zoo (Hobart). The zoos at Antwerp, Cologne and Berlin
also obtained thylacines. It is unfortunate that only rarely did
anyone take time to observe them; their tranquil nature did not arouse
much interest in zoo visitors, or zoo directors either. The last
thylacines to reach Berlin came to the zoo in 1902 via the Reiche Brothers
of Alfeld. |
.
| A
pair of thylacines which lived at the US National Zoological Park, Washington,
DC from 1902-1905. |
|
Ludwig Heck gave
a few words regarding their behavior in the fourth edition of Alfred Brehms'
Tierleben:
"...they act quite familiar coming restlessly up to the cage bars and sniffing
around if one stands on this side of the barrier directly in front of the
cage. ...they constantly demand food when they are not sleeping...they
keep trying to chew through the bars. They are hard to rouse from
sleep on their soft straw bed in the dim night cage, but are not unpleasant
if you do awaken them...otherwise they pace for hours in their cage without
paying much attention to the outside world, or lie quietly, sleeping apathetically".
.
| A
1914 photo of a thylacine that was kept at the London Zoo. Note that
its left arm is badly swollen. At least some, if not most, of the
injuries seen in captive thylacines possibly occurred when the animals
were captured in snares. |
|
Heck also believed that thylacines are rather photophobic (avoiding bright
light) and considered them as being primarily olfactory (scent oriented)
animals. Even though the sense of smell is obviously important as
is evidenced by its complex turbinal bones, some authorities, such as E.
Guiler, believe that vision and hearing may be of equal significance to
the thylacine. Indeed, the olfactory bulbs are are rather small as
compared with those of dasyurids, and it would appear that sight and hearing
may actually be the primary senses in Thylacinus. |
Regarding the vocalizations of the thylacine, G. P. Harris states that
he heard short, coarse sounds from a shackled individual, and G. Smith
speaks of a call "reminiscent of the whimpering of a puppy" which could
also be heard during the pursuit of prey. Lastly, A. S. Le Souef
and Richard Lydekker mention a rapidly repeated cough-like bark and a dull,
hoarse growl or snarl. |
