Mt Martha Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) sighting 08/05/2012 made to the T.R.U.

This is the second Thylacine sighting from suburban Victoria within the last couple of months made to the Thylacine Research Unit report a sighting web form.

www.thylacineresearchunit.org/reportasighting.htm

The information provided to the T.R.U. is as such;

Sighting By Steve, The Esplanade, Mt Martha, Victoria

Driving home at 7pm along the esplanade in Mt Martha, no other cars around at the time, there in front of me about 15 meters away I saw this animal crossing the road, reasonably quickly and apparently unaffected by the headlights of my oncoming car. The animal kept its pace and then disappeared into the shrubs. 

The animal was about the size of a medium dog, with a long stiff tail that extended horizontal to the road, with an ungainly face paced walk, a Longish snub snout. The Coloration was light greyish fawn with some stripes on the hind quarters and was moving at a fast paced walk.

It was a clear still night of mild temperature and the sighting continued for approximately 10 seconds before the animal disappeared into the surrounding shrubs. 

This is an interesting sighting from a region that historically gets a number of sightings.  I wouldn't normally suspect thylacine which was supposedly a very allusive animal to be present in suburbia but the area does have some cover, the beach and a near by reserve, so cant be ruled out.  There is also rumours and reports of Tasmanian Thylacine's been introduced into southern Victoria around the turn of the 20th century by a Thylacine Preservation Society.  Numerous sightings also come from Lock Sport and other regions of southern Victoria as well as the sighting from Maribyrnong that was also made to the T.R.U.

Only time and investigation will tell! 

Chris C.