Intriguing Murray Mallee image has South Australia’s thylacine-hunting community excited

A Murray Mallee man has captured an intriguing image on a motion-sensitive camera, sending a ripple of excitement through South Australia’s thylacine-hunting community.

The strange creature captured on a trail camera in the Murray Mallee this month.

• Footage claims to show Tasmanian tiger roaming Adelaide Hills
• Special report: The fight to save SA’s endangered species

A strange creature has been captured on a remote motion-sensitive camera in the Murray Mallee, sending a ripple of excitement through South Australia’s thylacine-hunting community.

The photograph, taken on November 17 by an anonymous resident, shows an unusual four-legged animal walking past a sheep’s watering trough.

Adelaide-based Thylacine Awareness Group founder Neil Waters believes it’s perhaps the best proof yet that a mainland population of Tassie tigers could be living in the region’s thick scrubland.

“This bloke rents a property on a farmer’s property, and back in April of this year they were losing lambs,” Mr Waters said.

“They were losing their heads and their chests were being ripped open, so it was an unusual kind of kill.

Strange footprints captured by Thylacine Awareness Group founder Neil Waters

“Two months ago he contacted me and told me that about two months earlier he had heard a strange noise outside and noticed that his dogs were going crazy.

“He went outside and could see it — he shone a torch on it — and he said it was big, had a boofy head and said it certainly wasn’t any kind of dog or fox.”

Mr Waters set up trail cameras on the man’s property, with the man moving one of the cameras to a water trough on the farm. It was this camera that caught the strange image.

“When he checked it and it had 2000 or so hits on it — most of them sheep coming to have a drink at the trough and a few foxes — and one shot of this unusual animal.

“You can see what appears to be eyes, and the white fur they have around their eyes, and an ear.

“I think this is a very good photograph and you can clearly see the face of the animal.”

Mr Waters has also recently photographed paw prints in the Murray Mallee region that he believes could belong to mysterious marsupial.

If you’ve had an unusual animal encounter Mr Waters can be contacted through www.thylacineawarenessgroup.com