The world's last Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) died at Hobart's Beaumaris Zoo in 1936. Now, a genetic engineering company has announced plans to bring it back to life.
Colossal, the name of the company, aims to bring back species that have been wiped out from the face of the Earth due to things like climate change and natural disasters due to human behavior.
Currently, as quoted from Gizmodo, the two threats go hand in hand, and many other large mammals are also on the verge of extinction.
Previously, Colossal also announced that it would reintroduce thousands of woolly mammoths to the steppes of Siberia. Woolly mammoths became extinct around 4 thousand years ago. Whereas the Tasmanian tiger, which lives on the island of Tasmania, southern Australia, is a much more recent victim of extinction.
Humans began hunting these striped marsupials as soon as they were considered a threat to settler livestock (which they generally were not). The Tasmanian government also gave a price per head of this wolf-like animal.
Despite the name tiger and the black striped motif on its fur, the Tasmanian tiger is not closely related to the big cat family.
Tasmanian tigers look more like dogs, although they are not related to the canidae family either. The Tasmanian tiger was the largest marsupial carnivore at the time of extinction. They hunt in the bushes and give birth to young prematurely, then raise them in pouches on their stomachs.
Although long extinct, both the Tasmanian tiger and woolly mammoth have their complete genomes sequenced. To resurrect the Tasmanian tiger, Colossal collaborated with the University of Melbourne's Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research (TIGRR) Lab.
One of the criticisms of this project is placing the return of extinct species (some long gone from the planet) above the health of existing species. Currently many marsupials in Australia are on the verge of extinction, and could theoretically be protected with the large funds used for this project.
Responding to the criticism, Colossal believes that the return of this extinct species will improve the health of the entire habitat.