Expedition Unknown Season 4 Episode 9 Tracking Tasmania's Tiger

In Expedition Unknown season 4 episode 9, host Josh Gates travels to Tasmania, an island state in southern Australia, in search of a creature that has long been considered extinct: the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger. Gates meets with local experts, historians, and wildlife trackers to delve into the mystery surrounding the thylacine and why it disappeared in the 20th century.

Gates begins his journey by visiting the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, where he learns about the history of the thylacine and sees preserved specimens of the animal. With the help of researcher Col Bailey, Gates examines a collection of photographs and eyewitness accounts of thylacine sightings from the 1930s and 1940s, which suggest that the animal may have persisted longer than previously thought.

Next, Gates heads into the Tasmanian wilderness with wildlife tracker Nick Mooney, who has dedicated his life to studying the thylacine. Mooney takes Gates to a remote location where he believes the thylacine may still be living, and they set up camera traps to capture photographic evidence of the elusive creature.

Gates also speaks with historian Nick Brodie, who exposes the darker side of the thylacine's story. Brodie reveals that the thylacine was hunted to near-extinction by European settlers in Tasmania, who saw the animal as a threat to their livestock. He explains that the animal was also the target of a government bounty program, which paid people to trap and kill thylacines.

Throughout the episode, Gates encounters conflicting opinions and evidence surrounding the thylacine's existence. He talks with skeptics who believe that the animal is gone for good, as well as those who are convinced that it still roams the Tasmanian wilderness. Gates himself remains open to the possibility that the thylacine may still be out there, and he concludes his search with newfound respect for this enigmatic animal and its place in Tasmania's complex history.