Dr. Stephen Sleightholme
Project Director
International Thylacine Specimen Database Project

    The Thylacine Museum - A Natural History of the Tasmanian Tiger is the result of my effort to bring together a diverse compilation of information about a truly remarkable family of marsupials - the thylacines.  As one can readily observe from browsing the pages of this virtual museum, my dedication and respect for these animals is beyond measure.  Marsupials have always been of immense interest to me, and the thylacinids especially so.  A naturalist who feels a very close kinship with the thylacine, I am honored to have shared a common evolutionary heritage with so extraordinary a species.  I have spent much of my life gathering literature and other material related to its study.
 

. A small wooden thylacine sculpture made in recent times by a skilled Tasmanian craftsman.

The Thylacine Museum first went online in November 1999, and now, after nearly two years of careful research and preparation, I am pleased to present this fully renovated 2006 edition which contains nearly double the content of the original.  Construction of the museum has been a complex and difficult project, requiring many thousands of hours of work.  For example, many conflicting or erroneous pieces of information regarding the thylacine have entered both scientific and popular literature over the years, and it has taken considerable time and effort to separate fact from myth, and truth from error.  A great emphasis has been placed upon establishing the accuracy of all information presented in this site.

    The building of the museum has been a great learning experience for me as well, as through my research for it, I have acquired a considerable amount of knowledge that I did not previously possess.  I know that you too will find a wealth of interesting data as you view the website's pages.  The Thylacine Museum is a completely non-profit public service dedicated to the advancement of science and education.  I hope that it will act as an effective vehicle for increasing public awareness and understanding of a unique fellow life form that has sustained irreversible damage through man's thoughtless behaviour, and that it will encourage people to do whatever they can to prevent further harm to our world's precious biodiversity.

    I wish to extend my appreciation to all of the authors, researchers, photographers, and artists throughout time who through their works have either directly or indirectly made the existence of this website possible.
 

I am frequently asked about whether or not I believe that any living examples of Thylacinus cynocephalus still exist.  I have made an extensive review of the secondary evidence that has appeared over the past several decades, and concluded that the species does in fact still exist, albeit in critically low numbers.  As is the case with many other endangered species, the ongoing destruction of its habitat is undoubtedly its single greatest threat.

. Another view of the same beautifully made wood carving shown above.  This sculpture is from my personal collection.

    Optimism for the future of the thylacine lies in concern for its needs.  If we can set aside natural areas for it, it stands a fighting chance to survive.  With knowledge, skill and kindness, we can make certain that there will always be a place in this world for thylacines.  Our caring will ensure their future.

Cameron R. Campbell
Author and Curator
The Thylacine Museum

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