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Tasmanian Wolf: Thylacinidae

Tasmanian Wolves And People

People have had unfriendly relationships with Tasmanian wolves. Native peoples on the island of Tasmania and in Australia killed and ate Tasmanian wolves for food. It is thought that although many groups did use the Tasmanian wolves for food, some would build special shelters to worship the head and skin of the animal afterwards.

Once European settlers and farmers came to the region, hunting of the wolves increased dramatically. Sheep farmers were losing sheep and assumed that the Tasmanian wolves were responsible. It is likely that the wolves did kill some sheep, but wild dogs probably killed more sheep that the wolves. Even so, farmers and bounty hunters continued to hunt the Tasmanian wolves. By the early 1900s, most were gone, and by 1912 bounty hunting of Tasmanian wolves was halted. This was not early enough to save them from extinction. The last time a Tasmanian wolf was confirmed to exist in the wild was in 1930. Despite the official protection that began on July 14, 1936, the last Tasmanian wolf died that September.

FARMING AND WILD ANIMALS

When people begin to farm in areas that were once wild, they often interact with new animals. Farmers who raise sheep, cattle, or other livestock find that wild animals will feed on their flocks. This was probably true of the Tasmanian wolves, although most scientists believe that wild dogs were responsible for killing more sheep and cattle than Tasmanian wolves. Even so, farmers hunted Tasmanian wolves and hired bounty hunters to help them. This drove the Tasmanian wolves to extinction, despite the fact that they may not have been responsible for all the farmers' losses.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceMammalsTasmanian Wolf: Thylacinidae - Physical Characteristics, Geographic Range, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Tasmanian Wolves And People - CONSERVATION STATUS