Yesterday Red went to Bristol Museum. It's a great place that contains all the classic items of an old style museum, ranging from a Gypsy Caravan to fossils, and from mummies to pottery but the most interesting set of exhibits is the range of stuffed animals. Strange to see in this day and age it still holds a fascination - but apart from the Wolverine of course the item of greatest interest is a Thylacine. Thylacines were a marsupial wolf that became extinct in 1936 - two years before becoming a protected species. Wrongly blamed for sheep stealing this carnivore had a bounty on its head and was wiped out. There are of course those that hold out hope that some may remain in the wilderness of Tasmania - or even mainland Australia - it would certainly be a brilliant find but perhaps the best hope is with Jurassic Park style cloning. Maybe these stuffed animals might be useful for their DNA - let's hope they stay on display. Site on the Thylacine - includes footage of the last captive Tazzy tiger - one of the saddest films you'll ever see. Read about the plight of the Tasmanian Devil.
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