Scientists Are Trying To Clone The Tasmanian Tiger Back To Life

A real copy-cat.🐅

Australian and American scientists have been given the green light to try and Frankenstein the Tasmanian Tiger.

The Tasmanian Tiger, or thylacine, was hunted to extinction in the early 1900s, with the last known specimen dying in captivity in 1936.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne have partnered with Texas biotechnology company Colossal to kickstart the ‘de-extinction’ process.

It’s the same company that announced last year they’d be bringing the Woolly Mammoth back from the dead.

Professor Andrew Pask, who’s been leading the project, has said it’s a great step in conserving Australia’s marsupials.

“We can now take the giant leaps to conserve Australia’s threatened marsupials and take on the grand challenge of de-extincting animals we had lost.”

He said we could be seeing the rebirth of the species very soon.

“With this partnership, I now believe that in ten years’ time we could have our first living baby thylacine since they were hunted to extinction close to a century ago.”

There’s been some criticism, with some people suggesting the process is ‘interfering with the natural order’, but Professor Andrew is undeterred. 

"When people say we are playing god, I say we do it all the time, we certainly played god when we exterminated the thylacine."

But why? Researchers from Colossal say the reintroduction of apex predators like the Tasmanian Tiger can have huge benefits for the environment.

This includes creating balance in the food chain, prevention of disease and wildfires and disrupting invasive species.

But some people aren’t convinced the process is even necessary.

Groups like the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia maintain there are still some Tasmanian Tigers in the wild and are dedicated to finding evidence of their survival.

Possible Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) sighting. Photo taken last year.
For your information, yes, I believe they still exist in small populations in parts of this state. pic.twitter.com/P0fFx2Uvrd

— Rob Arnol (@RobertArnol) April 18, 2021

But the researchers are going ahead with their plan, which makes us think they’ve never seen Jurassic Park.