Do you believe that Tasmanian tigers - declared extinct in 1936 - still roam the wilderness? Well, Neil Waters, president of the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, insists that they are, and that they're closer than ever before to proving it.

"When I was checking the SD cards, I found some photos, and they were pretty damn good. I know what they are," said Waters. He claims that photos released earlier this week are of a Tasmanian tiger joey.



Image credit to the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia.

Mr Waters says that vets he has shown the images to have ruled out the possibility that they are of a cat, and that the animal has four legs but does not hop, distinguishing it from other natives.

"We have proof of breeding," he insists. "We know that there are at least three wondering around north east Tasmania"

Mr Waters wants to prove that Tasmanian tigers are alive and breeding so that they can be put back on the endangered species list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"If we prove beyond any shadow of a doubt ... if we can verify the two photos are clear of a thylacine baby then that is enough in the scientific world to prove it still exists, is still breeding and drastically needs to be protected more than what it is," he said.

However, biologist Nick Mooney has rebutted the claims, saying that the images were of a pademelon.

When asked if proof of breeding should require DNA evidence, Mr Waters replied, "Scientists are lazy and they want DNA."

"They don't want to get calipers out and do measurements and the hard science. They used to do identifications without DNA for many, many years."

"I do not want to see a thylacine in some science lab cut up so they can study it. They need to spend a lot more time in the field studying this animal but they have the same rigid processes."

"They could learn about the animal's diet, migration, seasonal variations and breeding cycles by getting off their bottoms, locating the animals and studying them."

 

"There has been thousands of sightings in 85 years but they keep ignoring them."

"Because we haven't produced a dead animal for science to cut up they don't want to believe it. We have this idiotic government that wants to pretend it's extinct."

 

Do you think we should pursue the possibility that Thylacine are still alive and well?

Personally, I say, let them be! Let's put our effort and hearts towards protecting the habitats of the 7000 species that are currently teetering on the edge of extinction globally.

Do you agree with me, or are you a passionate tiger hunter? Do you believe that they are still out there in the wild? Are you convinced by the photos?