Tasmanian Tiger & Quagga

The last Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine died at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, Australia on September 7, 1936. The picture of the last Tasmanian Tiger shown above is Benjamin who was suspected to have died of neglect after being locked out of its sheltered quarters due during extreme weathers. The biggest cause for these animal extinction in the wild was a massive hunting campaign instituted by the Tasmanian government from 1888 to 1909, justified because the Tasmanian Tigers were believed to be a threat to sheep and hens.

The Quagga is a unique variety of Plains Zebra, marked by its stripes on the front of its body, with hair color transitioning toward a light brown or tan along its rear and underbelly, until becoming white along its legs. This picture represents the only Quagga ever to have been photographed alive, taken at the London Zoo in 1870. Its unique hide made the Quagga a target for hunters and poachers, and the last known wild Quagga was probably killed in the late 1870′s. The species went extinct on August 12th, 1883, when the last specimen died at a zoo in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.