When the world bid goodbye to Benjamin on September 7, 1936, mankind actually bid farewell to the whole species of Tasmanian tiger, AKA thylacine. Benjamin was the last known thylacine and was housed at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The irony was that just two months ago, they were granted 'protected' status. With that, mankind said adios to another species.
Do you know what marsupials are? Commonly known as pouched animals, the most famous marsupial is the kangaroo. Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial and had a stripped body to go with its dog-like head. They went from being considered as beasts to pests for hunting livestock and such was the transition that by 1830, cash bounties were handed out to those who hunted them. One cannot discount habitat destruction as one of the major factors behind the extinction of this nocturnal creature that moved at a glacial pace.
The loss of this iconic Tasmanian animal deeply hurt Australians. Sketches of this animal, dating back centuries, have been found in Australian caves. Many believe that it is not extinct yet and continues to lurk in the wild.
In pop culture, DC Comics' first-ever female Aboriginal superhero is named Thylacine.
