Tigers died in drought

Drought was to blame for the extinction of Tasmanian tigers from the Australian mainland, a new study by the University of Adelaide has found.

A University of Adelaide study has attributed
extinction of the Tasmania tiger to drought.

Using DNA from fossil bones and museum specimens, the report says drought caused by the onset of El Nino weather patterns was the likely cause of the tigers’ demise.

‘‘The ancient DNA tells us that the mainland extinction was rapid, and not the result of intrinsic factors such as inbreeding or loss of genetic diversity,’’ researcher Lauren White said.

Read the Country News story - “Tigers died in drought.”