Amahlosi aseTasmania “ahluke ngokuphelele,” afana nezimpisi ayechuma esiqhingini saseTasmania ngaphambi kokuba ashabalale ngo-1936 kungenzeka aqhubeka ephila ehlane isikhathi eside kunalokho okwakucatshangwa ngaphambili, ucwaningo lusikisela. Kukhona futhi kungenzeka ukuthi basaphila nanamuhla, kusho ochwepheshe.
Izingwe zaseTasmanian, ezaziwa nangokuthi ama-thylacines (I-Thylacinus cynocephalus) kwakungamamarsupial adlayo anemigqa ehlukile emhlane wawo ongezansi. Lolu hlobo lwaqala ukutholakala kulo lonke elase-Australia kodwa lwanyamalala ezweni cishe eminyakeni engu-3,000 edlule ngenxa yokushushiswa abantu. Yaphikelela esiqhingini saseTasmania kwaze kwaba yilapho insada kahulumeni eyethulwa izifiki zokuqala zaseYurophu ngeminyaka yawo-1880 yabhubhisa inani labantu futhi yaxosha lezi zilwane.
“I-thylacine yayihluke ngokuphelele phakathi kwama-marsupial aphilayo,” kusho u-Andrew Pask, uprofesa we-epigenetics e-University of Melbourne e-Australia. “Ayigcinanga nje ngokuba nokubukeka kwayo okungokomfanekiso okwempisi, kodwa futhi bekuwukuphela kwesilwane esizingelayo esiseqophelweni eliphezulu i-marsupial. Izilwane ezidla ezinye ze-Apex zakha izingxenye ezibaluleke kakhulu zochungechunge lokudla futhi ngokuvamile zinesibopho sokusimamisa imvelo. "
I-thylacine eyaziwayo yokugcina yafela ekuthunjweni e-Hobart Zoo eTasmania ngo-September 7, 1936. Ingenye yezinhlobo zezilwane ezimbalwa eyaziwa usuku oluqondile lokunyamalala kwazo, ngokusho kwe I-Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research (TIGRR) Lab, eholwa nguPask futhi ihlose ukubuyisela amahlosi aseTasmania kwabafileyo.
Kodwa manje, ososayensi bathi kungenzeka ukuthi ama-thylacine ahlala endle kwaze kwaba ngawo-1980, “ngethuba elincane” okungenzeka ukuthi asakwazi ukucasha kulo ndawana thize namuhla. Ocwaningweni olushicilelwe ngoMashi 18, 2023, kujenali Isayensi Yendawo Ephelele, abacwaningi bahlola ukuthi kubonwe i-thylacine engaphezu kuka-1,237 1910 eTasmania kusukela ngo-XNUMX kuqhubeke.
Iqembu lalinganisela ukwethembeka kwale mibiko nalapho ama-thylacine ayengase aqhubeke khona ngemva kuka-1936. “Sasebenzisa indlela entsha ukuze senze imephu yendlela yokuwohloka kwezindawo zayo kulo lonke elaseTasmania, nokulinganisa usuku lokushabalala kwayo ngemva kokucabangela izinto eziningi ezingaqinisekile,” kusho. Barry Brook, uprofesa wokusimama kwemvelo eNyuvesi yaseTasmania nombhali oholayo wocwaningo.
I-Thylacines kungenzeka ukuthi yasinda ezindaweni ezikude kwaze kwaba sekupheleni kweminyaka yawo-1980 noma 1990, nosuku lwakuqala lokushabalala maphakathi nawo-1950, abacwaningi basikisela. Ososayensi bacabanga ukuthi amahlosi ambalwa aseTasmania asengabosheka ehlane lesifundazwe eliseningizimu-ntshonalanga.
Kodwa abanye bayangabaza. "Abukho ubufakazi bokuqinisekisa ukuthi kukhona abakubonayo," kusho uPask. “Into eyodwa ethakazelisa kakhulu nge-thylacine indlela eyavela ngayo ukuze ibukeke njengempisi futhi ihluke kakhulu kwezinye izilwane ezincelisayo. Ngenxa yalokhu, kunzima kakhulu ukubona umehluko phakathi kwe-thylacine nenja futhi kungenzeka ukuthi yingakho sisalokhu sibona izinto eziningi kangaka naphezu kokuba singakaze sithole isilwane esifile noma isithombe esingaguquki.”
Ukube ama-thylacine aphile isikhathi eside endle, othile ubezohlangana nesilwane esifile, kusho uPask. Noma kunjalo, “kungenzeka ngalesi sikhathi (ngo-1936) ukuthi ezinye izilwane ziphikelele endle,” kusho uPask. “Ukube bekhona abasindile, bebembalwa kakhulu.”
Nakuba abanye abantu befuna amahlosi aseTasmanian asaphila, uPask nozakwabo bafuna ukuvuselela lezi zilwane. "Ngenxa yokuthi i-thylacine iyisenzakalo sakamuva sokuqothulwa, sinamasampula amahle kanye ne-DNA yekhwalithi eyanele yokwenza lokhu ngokuphelele," kusho uPask. I-thylacine nayo yayiwukuqothulwa okuqhutshwa umuntu, hhayi okwemvelo, futhi okubalulekile, i-ecosystem eyayihlala kuyo isekhona, inikeza indawo yokubuyela emuva.
Ukuqedwa kokuqothulwa kuyimpikiswano futhi kuhlala kuyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu futhi kubiza, ngokusho kweNational Museum of Australia. Labo abathanda ukuvuselela i-thylacine bathi izilwane zingathuthukisa imizamo yokongiwa kwemvelo. "I-thylacine ingasiza ngempela ukulinganisa kabusha i-ecosystem eTasmania," kusho uPask. “Ngaphezu kwalokho, ubuchwepheshe obubalulekile nezinsiza ezidalwe kuphrojekthi yokuqothulwa kwe-thylacine zizobaluleka njengamanje ukusiza ukulondoloza nokulondoloza izinhlobo zethu zezilwane ezisengozini yokushabalala nezisengozini.”
Nokho, labo abamelene nakho bathi ukuqedwa kokuqothulwa kuphazamisa ukuqothulwa kwezinto ezintsha nokuthi inani elivuselelwe i-thylacine alikwazanga ukuziphilisa. UCorey Bradshaw, uprofesa wesayensi yezinto eziphilayo nezindawo eziphilayo eFlinders University, wathi: “Awekho nje amathuba okuphinda kutholakale isampula elanele lezinhlobo zofuzo ze-thylacine ezingaphila futhi ziphikelele lapho sezikhishiwe.
