Poo clues used in new Tassie Tiger hunt
20:54 AEDT Mon 14 May 2001 The Times
Using DNA to test faeces will be the key to a planned new hunt for the Tasmanian tiger.
Scientists plan to collect and DNA-test thousands of carnivore scats from the old haunts
of the thylacine, the Tasmanian Museum's senior curator of vertebrate zoology David
Pemberton said.
Most experts believe the tiger is extinct, but there are still people who are sure
Tasmania's largest carnivore lurks in deep forests and there are periodic unsubstantiated
sightings.
Dr Pemberton said the project, which still needs funding, would be more definitive than
any previous work.
"I like the mystique of the thylacine," he said.
"As a scientist, I can't say it doesn't exist. It's highly unlikely, but stranger
things have happened.''
Dr Pemberton said there was a lot of public pressure for a new tiger hunt and the project
would be cheaper, quicker and more definitive than previous hunts that relied heavily on
luck.
There were "bucket loads" of thylacine DNA material to support the search.
Ecological modelling will be used to pinpoint search areas that will be mainly in forested
areas of the northeast, northwest and west coast.
Field workers will collect scats from large carnivores, mainly Tasmanian devils and tiger
quolls, and send them to a laboratory for testing.
Even if it comes up blank, Dr Pemberton doesn't expect the tiger believers to change their
mind.
"We won't end the belief in the thylacine," he said.
He hopes the project, which will take about two years, will start late this year.END OF REPORT
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