This came up on the FB page of a chap calling himself Thylacineman, so all the credit to him for uncovering this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAGRCnZ4K10 I've not yet been able to listen to all of it, but so far it's wonderful. She tells of Hobart Zoo using tigers as currency for more 'exotic' animals abroad. She also makes a comment which seems to lend good support for Ellias Churchill's animal being 'Benjamin'*. And when I had to pause it, she was just beginning to describe how to stuff a thylacine. * I know, it's just easier to write.
There is actually relatively little about the Thylacines in the whole 28 minute interview, just the section around 6 minutes mainly. She seems a bit confused (understandably, it being so long ago) where she says the 'last one' had the 'illness' which spread to all the others. That can't be correct as when Benjamin arrived in 1933 all indications are that there weren't any others in the Zoo, and according to the three films, he was seemingly in good health and certainly lived three more years there. When I spoke to her in the late 1970's I focused mainly on her memories of the Thylacine. I didn't know anything then of her background really, apart from that she was the Curator's daughter at the Zoo. Later I learnt more of it from Robert Paddle's book- in many respects I think the chapter on her and the Zoo is one of the most interesting in the whole book... I see that yet another 'mainland tiger hunter' is in the news. Complete with a montage of all the best-known 'mangy fox' videos as proof.
Yes, I think confusion played a part there too. I think her comment about Benjamin bringing it in may be related to something she said in an earlier interview, in which, as I remember it, she said that a sick tiger had come through the zoo, and spread the disease to the rest of the captive population. Details are very hazy, but I think she implied that included the overseas specimens too. So, may not have been that clear even then. I'm going to have to check that, but I can't remember where I saw it. I think it was on the Chris Packham documentary, but that's off-line at the moment. Again, yes, that is the most readable section in Paddle's book. Is the new 'champion of the tigers' Murray McAlister by any chance?
I heard her say that somewhere in another interview also. I think the confusion is that the 'sick tiger' wasn't the last one. We didn't touch on any of the history when I talked to her, I asked her more about what they were like concerning their appearance, behaviour etc. Yes, he's the one- there's a whole army out there...
I'm pretty glad you said that, I was starting to wonder if I'd imagined it. I wonder how Waters and McAlister get on, do they support each other, or debunk each other?
I don't know. These people seem to pop up independently of each other. But the mantra is always the same- 'its out there and here's the proof its still there, and all will be revealed soon' etc, or that somehow its morphed into some weird and wonderful subspecies that doesn't look the same or something, but the fact remains there is never any indisputable evidence provided- the reason being that from the mainland there never can be, and perhaps 99% probability there won't be from Tasmania either.
