Tasmanian Tiger Caught on Camera? (New 2024)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host investigates a sensational claim regarding the sighting of the supposedly extinct thylacine, based on photographs provided by a viewer named Henry. The story unfolds with Henry's friend Zach, who allegedly encountered the creature during a night drive in Tasmania. Despite numerous red flags, such as the anonymity of the sources and vague details about the sighting, the photographs appear surprisingly credible. The host meticulously interviews Zach, scrutinizing every detail and photo to discern the authenticity of this potentially groundbreaking discovery in natural history. The community's help is enlisted through crowdsourcing to validate the sighting, with a call to action for viewers to share their insights in the comments.
Takeaways
- 📧 The email claims a sighting of a thylacine in Tasmania, with photographic evidence that appears highly convincing but has several red flags.
- 🕵️♂️ The person named Henry, who sent the email, and his friend Zach, who allegedly took the photos, exhibit suspicious behavior by avoiding personal interviews and detailed personal information.
- 📍 The location of the sighting is described vaguely, which adds to the skepticism surrounding the authenticity of the claim.
- 🐾 The photos are described as very compelling, prompting the host to share them with a wider audience for verification.
- 🤔 Skepticism arises due to inconsistencies in the travel story provided by Zach, especially concerning his flight details and geographical errors regarding the location of Darwin International Airport.
- 🎭 Despite the reluctance to be publicly identified, Zach agrees to a video call, requesting to remain anonymous by hiding his face.
- 👀 Zach provides a detailed account during the video call, describing the thylacine's behavior, appearance, and the circumstances of the encounter.
- 🔍 Metadata discrepancies in the photos raise questions about their origin, suggesting they might have been altered or screenshot before being sent.
- 🤝 The discussion includes suggestions to further investigate the sighting by involving experts and possibly taking conservation steps if the sighting is confirmed.
- 🔬 The video concludes with ongoing skepticism and a call for expert analysis to confirm the authenticity of the photos and the sighting.
Q & A
Who is Henry and what role does he play in the video?
-Henry is a person who contacted the video creator about his friend Zach, who allegedly had an encounter with a thylacine in Tasmania. Henry serves as a middleman, providing photographs and details of the encounter to the video creator.
What is the significance of the thylacine in the video?
-The thylacine, often referred to as the Tasmanian tiger, is believed to be extinct. In the video, the sighting and photographs of a living thylacine represent a potentially groundbreaking natural history discovery, challenging existing beliefs about the species' extinction.
Why is the video creator skeptical about the authenticity of the thylacine photographs?
-The creator's skepticism stems from previous experiences with hoax submissions, the strange circumstances surrounding the submission, and the odd behavior of the individuals involved, like not wanting to show faces or provide additional proof.
What measures does the video creator take to verify the thylacine sighting?
-The creator plans to conduct a thorough investigation by analyzing the photographs, discussing the encounter in detail with Zach over a Zoom call, and possibly consulting with thylacine experts and the wider community for further validation.
What are some of the red flags mentioned by the video creator regarding the thylacine sighting?
-Red flags include Henry's and Zach's reluctance to reveal their identities, inconsistencies in their travel details, and their unwillingness to provide additional evidence or participate in a detailed interview.
How does the video creator intend to use crowd-sourcing in relation to the thylacine sighting?
-The creator aims to engage the audience by presenting the unedited footage and details of the sighting, encouraging viewers to scrutinize the evidence and share their opinions, which could help in assessing the credibility of the sighting.
What potential impact could a confirmed thylacine sighting have according to the video?
-A confirmed sighting could drastically alter the understanding of thylacine extinction and contribute significantly to natural history, potentially spurring conservation efforts and scientific interest in the species.
What challenges does the video creator face in verifying the thylacine sighting?
-Challenges include the quality of the photographic evidence, the anonymity of the sources, the plausibility of the encounter's narrative, and the need to differentiate this potential sighting from past hoaxes.
What reasons does Zach give for wanting to remain anonymous in the video?
-Zach expresses a general discomfort with public exposure and a specific concern for his privacy, fearing the widespread attention and scrutiny that might come from such a significant discovery.
How does the video creator plan to handle the dissemination of the information about the thylacine sighting?
-The creator plans to first validate the authenticity of the photographs and the story before publicly releasing the information. They emphasize managing the release in a controlled manner to maintain the integrity of the potential discovery and protect the sources.
Outlines
🔍 Investigating a Claim of a Thylacine Sighting
The video begins with the host discussing an email from a person named Henry, claiming to have photographic proof of a living thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, sighted during a road trip in Tasmania by Henry's friends, Zach and his father. The host expresses skepticism given frequent false claims of extinct animals but notes that the photos appear convincing, despite some red flags such as the sender's reluctance to be publicly interviewed and vague details about their trip.
📞 Preparing for a Revealing Interview
The host prepares to interview Zach via Zoom to authenticate the thylacine sighting. They discuss the logistics of the interview, with Zach insisting on not showing his face. The host tries to persuade Zach to at least partially reveal his identity to lend credibility to his story, suggesting he could wear a disguise. The conversation also covers the planned structure of the interview, including a detailed examination of the photos taken during the sighting.
🤔 Skepticism and Speculation Pre-Zoom
Just before the Zoom interview, the host reflects on the situation's oddities and potential red flags, such as inconsistencies in metadata from the photos suggesting they might be screenshots. Despite these concerns, the host remains intrigued by the possibility of the sighting being genuine and plans to conduct a thorough interview to scrutinize Zach's story and the photographic evidence.
🕵️♂️ Detailed Account of the Encounter
Zach recounts the encounter in detail during the Zoom call. He describes believing they were aiding an injured dog by the roadside, only to discover it was a thylacine. Zach provides a moment-by-moment account of the sighting, including the animal's reactions and the quick actions they took to photograph it. He explains the thylacine's behavior, the setting, and how they managed to capture the images despite the surprise and brevity of the encounter.
🐾 Analysis of the Photographic Evidence
Zach walks through each photograph, describing the circumstances of each shot as they review them together. He details the sequence of events captured in the images, discussing the animal's behavior, the lighting, and their reactions during the encounter. The host expresses amazement at the clarity and implications of the photographs, considering the rarity and significance of capturing such images if they are indeed genuine.
🔬 Scrutinizing the Details and Veracity
In a critical analysis of the evidence, the host questions the authenticity of the photographs and the plausibility of Zach's account, noting discrepancies in the timeline and the metadata of the images. Zach explains possible reasons for these inconsistencies, and they discuss the technical aspects of the photographs, including camera settings and environmental factors affecting the images.
🛫 Discussing Travel Details and Skepticism
The conversation delves into the logistics of Zach's travel to Tasmania, exploring potential gaps and inconsistencies in his story about how he arrived in the region. The host checks the feasibility of the direct flight claim and the timeline of their trip, aiming to identify any discrepancies that might cast further doubt on Zach's narrative or the sighting's authenticity.
🧐 Concluding the Interview and Next Steps
The interview concludes with Zach affirming the legitimacy of his sighting and expressing his willingness to keep his identity partially concealed. The host plans to share the interview and photographs with experts for further verification, maintaining a cautious but hopeful perspective on the potential discovery. They discuss the implications of the sighting for conservation and scientific understanding if confirmed to be true.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Thylacine
💡Photographic evidence
💡Skepticism
💡Hoax
💡Metadata
💡Credibility
💡Conservation
💡Vetting
💡Red flags
💡Crowdsourcing
Highlights
A person receives an email claiming proof of the existence of the supposedly extinct thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.
The email sender's friend allegedly encountered a thylacine in Tasmania, taking several compelling photos.
The story begins with a kid named Henry and his buddy Zach, who stumbled upon the creature during a road trip.
Despite several red flags in the story, including the reluctance of the photo provider to be interviewed or show his face, the photographic evidence appears unusually convincing.
The person attempts to validate the authenticity of the thylacine sighting by planning a video call with Zach, the individual who took the photos.
Zach agrees to a Zoom call but insists on remaining anonymous, proposing to wear a disguise during the interview.
During the interview, Zach provides a detailed account of the sighting, describing the animal’s behavior and physical characteristics.
The discussion includes an analysis of the photos, attempting to pinpoint inconsistencies or signs of editing.
Zach remains skeptical about revealing his identity, even with a disguise, highlighting his and his father’s distrust of internet exposure.
The narrative explores potential discrepancies in the story, such as the reported flight path and location details provided by Zach.
The person conducting the interview plans to consult with experts to further scrutinize the photographs and Zach’s account.
Throughout the interview, the focus remains on the possibility of a monumental discovery in natural history—the first confirmed sighting of a thylacine in decades.
The conversation reveals a mixture of excitement and skepticism, encapsulating the tension between hope for a genuine discovery and the fear of being misled by a hoax.
The interaction concludes with plans to keep the discovery under wraps until further verification, underscoring the cautious approach taken in potentially groundbreaking scientific revelations.
Zach’s detailed recall and consistent story during the interview provide a compelling, though not definitive, argument for the authenticity of his encounter with the thylacine.
Transcripts
I have photographic proof that the
thilosene is still alive at least that's
the email that I got from this guy named
Henry just last week that we'll be
digging into here shortly this happens
all the time I get dozens of emails per
week from someone saying they have
evidence of a black panther ivory build
woodpecker Eastern Mountain line you
name it and it's always either a case of
mistaken identity for the wrong species
or outright fraud in this video I'm
going to take you through vetting one of
these scenarios a very compelling one
that may indeed actually be legit but
first let me explain what happened about
a week ago a kid named Henry reached out
and Henry tells me that his buddy Zach
and Zach's dad were on a road trip
through Tasmania when they pulled over
to help an injured dog that ends up
being a thilosene now this story all
seems like nonsense except there are
incredible photos that I'm going to show
you guys here in a moment that my team
and I are really having a hard time
sming holes in that look really really
good however there are some major red
flags first of all the guy's kind of odd
as you'll see he doesn't want to be
interviewed he wants to cover up his
face and it was a whole process of
talking him into being willing to even
come on this Zoom as you guys will see
here shortly in addition to that he
doesn't really remember his flight path
he named some weird cities we asked him
for follow-up information uh and
photographs from the rest of his trip to
Tasmania that he wasn't willing to
provide I'm just very skeptical overall
but these photos are so freaking good
that I really wanted to Outsource this
and make this sort of a crowdsourcing
bull for you guys at home to take a look
at so the video I'm about to share with
you guys is a little bit different it's
the full raw unedited phone call and
interview so that you guys at home have
all the facts that I have because this
one is so crazy when you see the pcks
and how real they look we want you the
viewer to see everything that has
happened all the nuances and maybe you
guys at home can pick up on things that
my team and I haven't the whole thing is
very curious but if the photos you're
about to see are possibly legit this
would be the largest natural history
discovery of our lifetime so let me know
what you think in the comments below and
let's get right into it this photo is
crazy dude wow wow wow wow wow
holy oh my
God first thing I'm going to do is read
you the email that I got so this is the
email Lazarus species photographs is the
title good day Forest I'm not sure if
you will see this but a friend of mine
has had an up close encounter with a
thyine in Tasmania this week and took
some amazing photos of the animal which
to me unquestionably confirms the animal
still lives on they wish to remain
anonymous red flag number one but the
road they were on during the encounter
was somewhere on upper sto port at night
where he pulled over and saw it there
are several amazing and kind of creepy
pictures of the animal caught in the
Flash my buddy's torch didn't want to
make this public so yeah I will eagerly
await your feedback I already contacted
tooa which is the thilosene awareness
group of Australia for those listening
um and they have yet to respond and I am
frankly not sure if they ever will I
hope you email me back so I can get the
photos to you have a great day okay
couple things here so it's his friend
and not him red flag number one the
friend wants to remain anonymous red
flag number two uh they've contacted
tooa uh which isn't a red flag but it
makes sense but the story gets deeper so
I had Liam who's on my team reach out to
uh this person whose name was Henry and
say hey Henry can you give me the
details can you send the photos and I'm
going to show you guys the photos
shortly we went through kind of a
roundabout way through Henry we got the
story now the story was that Henry's
friend Zach and his dad were driving on
Upper stowport Road late at night when
they saw something pulled over and sure
enough got these photog s of a thilosene
well I said to this kid Henry who's from
Chicago by the way not Tasmania red flag
number four I said Henry I have to talk
to the guy who got these photos I can't
hear this secondhand if you guys want me
to believe the story I have to actually
uh talk to someone and I have all of the
audio recordings of these phone calls
which we may add in here as we go
depending on how this interview goes now
I finally got a hold of Zack who's the
kid that has the encounter with the
thyine and he agreed to do a call but
still wants to remain anonymous while we
talk about and review these photos so
first thing I'm going to do right now
and Zach doesn't know this is coming so
I'm going to call him and see if I can
talk him out of being anonymous to show
his face to give credibility I've
already asked him a lot of questions
over the phone which you may or may not
hear if we include the audio recording
in this video but this is it guys this
could be the first official sighting of
the thilosene if this holds up so you
guys are seeing this live with me we'll
see what
happens hey Zach you there hi yeah hey
buddy how are you fine oh good man um
you're still uh still good for our zoom
in a couple minutes here oh yeah for
sure sweet um so I just sorry go ahead
oh I was checking my email see if you
sent me the
link sent you sent phone mind Li Liam
should have sent you the link a couple
days ago I think you got it yeah I got
it sweet um and then Liam mentioned he
wasn't sure whether or not you were
wanting to show your face what uh what
where are we on that no face no face um
can I can I give you can I can I give
you my P as to why I think it would be
great to have your face on it yeah sure
you you stand by all of this obviously
right so in order for this to not seem
like a shady hoax which I'm not saying
it is I don't want you to take that the
wrong way but remember when we discussed
I was like how do we make this you know
the substantial discovery that it is I
think it's going to be important that
you show your face on the zoom how do
you feel about
that I'm just I don't share my fa I want
to share my face
on
inter anything like that yeah I feel you
on that what if we what if you uh what
if you share it with me here and then we
we blur it out if we make this public
how does that
sound
what I gotta think about that um cuz I
think like I'm saying I I think people
can understand that like this guy
doesn't want be known he doesn't want to
be widely you know seen and interviewed
and all of that but I think you know
standing behind a black screen makes it
feel illegitimate whereas if you at
least show up and we just blur your face
you know on on the zoom call uh then I
think that at least has The credibility
of this really
happened um
uh I just I
don't I don't like sharing my face
gotcha okay um well let's have the zoom
nonetheless and uh and then you know if
you change your mind like I I really
think if we want this to be impactful in
the world of wildlife science it would
be it would be important for you to to
stand by it with your with your face at
some point but it's up to you man I'm
not going to talk you into it I could if
it would help I could just send a
picture um yeah I mean I don't think
that would help that much I think it's
more hearing it you know from someone as
opposed to hearing it from a black
screen I think that's where you know
because I'm going to try and get this
vetted by a bunch of experts and people
in Tasmania and I think they're all
going to be like oh you know I this this
American kid saw a thilosene on vacation
like sounds sketchy you know versus like
oh I can see him talking about it and
telling the story I'm just giving you my
opinion cuz I think it's I I don't want
this to fall on deaf ears if you know
assuming it's legit yeah I totally
understand where you're coming from I'm
not I'm not offended what about Zach
what about like a hoodie in some shades
or something you know like the way they
do In Those Old School uh you know like
FBI interview movies like put on a
hoodie put put on a put on a face mask
you know like a CO mask or a bandana or
something and a pair of shades like that
that way at least it's coming from
you all right I could I could do that
let's do that that helps I think you
know something like that yeah so I think
that all works so why don't you how many
how many minutes till you want to hop on
the zoom I'll open the zoom room right
now oh give me like five minutes five
minutes I'll see you there buddy all
right thank you oh yeah how long would
this last like going to be like 20
minutes or that's about what I was
thinking I was just going to have you
tell the whole story kind of like you
did over the phone to me before um but
you know expl and then I was there's 12
pictures I think no one two 3 four five
six 7 8 nine 10 pictures I was hoping we
could I'll screen share with you and we
could step through each picture and you
could just tell me a little bit about
what was happening I just want to get
the full understanding of everything
that's all yeah definitely cool all
right great well the zoom room is open
and I will see you uh in a couple
minutes all right in all right buddy
thank
you so as you can tell it's weird right
he doesn't want to show his face he's
got his own reasons he's skeptical which
makes me skeptical right but as you guys
will see when you see these photos in
detail pretty hard to be a hoax I've got
my camera guys sitting here and they
looked into it there are some weird
things that I'll bring up in the
interview like the metadata which could
be from screenshots of the photos uh I
was contacted by the for the first time
on April 20th and the metadata says that
the photographs are from April 21st and
22nd which may mean that they were
screenshots that were then sent to me
because they didn't come from Zach who I
just spoke to on the phone they came
from his friend Henry who is allegedly
on vacation with his dad in Tasmania
visiting family so there are a lot of
red flags I'm incredibly skeptical but
I'm also honored that we're the first
people that somebody that says they had
a sighting came to and is going to give
us this information so I'm waiting for
Zach if that's his real name to jump on
our Zoom here then we're going to go
through these photographs I'm going to
cross question him and see if it's
or see if these photos that are
incredibly compelling could possibly be
legit and change our entire
understanding of thyine Extinction do
you want to just keep rolling or keep
going okay is he in there no oh he's
here that was quick wait for Tommy I
don't think we need to okay
well this is all good I'm glad the
cameras are rolling so he's just jumped
in the room um
record record on this computer recording
in progress okay you got it okay should
we just go he's here all right this is a
big deal for those watching at home
everybody I'm getting Goosebumps
everybody's getting nervous I sure hope
this isn't a HS cuz I mean I'm not going
to look dumb this kid's going to look
dumb but this would just be so sad if
people are this desperate for attention
so all right here we
go Zach you
there Zach can you hear me it says
you're uh muted and then your camera's
off
uh
oh ask to unmute let's try
that Zach are you
there h
Tommy can you just check and see if he
yeah I just felt a text come in there he
is right
there my password's okay good to know
now now everybody knows that I'm here
it's not like oh there he is I hear
you okay I think it was just because it
was giving me the
notification that the meeting was being
recorded oh got you
that's okay with you I presume right I
mean that's we we discussed that yeah
cool cool um sweet are you willing to
turn your camera on yeah I'm just
finishing up my
disguise okay no problem um man this is
crazy Zack this is the only thing I've
been thinking about I got to tell you I
uh it's pretty nuts yeah I know you're
not a big Wildlife guy from our original
phone call but to me this is uh oh yeah
you're you're fully hidden look at you
go well I am a wildlife guy I'm just not
a uh mammal guy gotcha gotcha all right
well that's pretty Turtles and snakes
and stuff oh well I like all those
things but um let's let's talk thyine
let's get right into it so yeah tell me
I I know we chatted about this briefly
over the phone but give me the whole
story like what where were you what was
the day what were you doing there like
why were you in Tasmania it's pretty
hard for people to believe that a kid
from CH or not Chicago Milwaukee yeah uh
Minneapolis Minneapolis found a found a
thyine so yeah just lay it out for me
please so I was visiting Tasmania with
my hold on let let me fix my thing it's
falling apart okay that's
fine don't worry you've got a disguise
on and I look like a beetroot because I
was out in the sun all day yesterday so
it's all good to be holding it up the
whole time yeah yeah you're good man
also if you get comfortable enough you
can just let it fall down because
whatever I'll just let it fall down
maybe when I get comfortable but it's
fine whatever you want man like I don't
want to pressure you I yeah it's weird I
get it this is my
um I don't know anyways so story is yeah
I'm visiting Tasmania with my dad you
know because we have family down in
tesia
yeah where does your family
live they live in the
um the area near the sto
stowport that's what it's called upper
stowport is what it's called okay
um and it's my my aunt's husband right
my aunt my dad's
sister and she married him he is from
Tasmania okay
and so and so you're sorry so you're in
Tasmania with your dad right on this
trip um and this is a couple weeks
ago yes this was
April 12th
through
18th gotcha it was just six days in
Tasmania nice yeah yeah we're just down
um his my uncle's
parents own like a farm a sheep farm
down there cool yeah they they got the
big pastures with the sheep and the wool
and all that rad yeah rad so so you're
driving yeah tell me tell me what
happened
please um we we had just left we were
about to head back to Darwin
International Airport to head back to
the States okay and it was 11:30ish
okay and so we we we're driving down the
road there's no street lights so it's we
got our headlamps on and side of the
road there's a dog or what we think is a
dog uh we pull over because we like dogs
obviously who doesn't yep um we we
notice it's not a dog obviously pretty
quick though but we're still like
gonna try and help it
yeah um and
so it might have just been eating