The Tasmanian tiger was thought to have gone extinct 80 years ago, but a report from the Australian government reveals that there have been eight reported sightings in the last three years, according to CNN.
Also known as a thylacine or Tasmanian wolf, the marsupial carnivore was believed to have gone extinct in 1936. Nevertheless, it has remained a significant part of Tasmanian culture and has achieved “almost Loch Ness Monster status” on the Australian island, CNN reported.
Two sightings of the animal were reported in November 2018. A Tasmanian tiger with two cubs was seen by a woman at Hartz Mountains National Park in Tasmania, while another was seen crossing the road in Corinna, Tasmania, by two people driving in their car, according to ABC News.
Another man reported seeing a footprint on Sleeping Beauty mountain that he believes belongs to a Tasmanian tiger as recently as July, ABC News reported.
In all, there have been eight sightings of the creature since 2016, according to ABC News.
Still, experts are cautious about the reports.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that there aren’t any really fantastic photographs of (live thylacines),” Catherine Kemper, a researcher at the South Australian Museum, told an Australian network in 2016, according to USA Today. ”All the photographs and video clips so far are pretty ordinary.”
Even if further evidence of the animal’s continued existence can’t be found, researchers have been working to find ways to bring the Tasmanian tiger back. Advancements in DNA technology may make it possible to bring it back from extinction, according to a 2017 study, Fox News reported.
The last known Tasmanian tiger, Benjamin, died in captivity in 1936, according to Fox News.
Each year on Sept. 7, Australia commemorates Threatened Species Day on the anniversary of Benjamin’s death, according to USA Today.