A company Paris Hilton invested in wants to resurrect the Tasmanian Tiger (VIDEO)

Aug 18 2022, 10:46 pm

A company called Colossal Biosciences wants to resurrect the extinct Tasmanian TigerĀ and it seems one of the people investing in the company is none other than Paris Hilton.

The Tasmanian Tiger, also known as thylacine, was last captured alive sometime in the 1930s.

Colossal, based in Dallas, notes that the last captive specimen died in 1936 and that the species went from over 5,000 to zero in just a few decades. Colossal also suggests that the extinction was human-caused and that it is determined to “reverse the problem humans created.”

Hilton is likely not directly involved in this specific cause of bringing the Tasmanian Tiger back to life, and it isn’t clear when or how much she actually contributed to Colossal, but Crunchbase very clearly lists her as an investor on this website.

Dealroom.co suggests Hilton was part of a March 2022 investment round which in total along with other investors contributed approximately $60 million to the company.

Bloomberg also suggests that the Hemsworth family has invested in Colossal.

Last year, NFSA Films actually released colourized footage of the last known surviving thylacine for National Threatened Species Day.

Colossal points to European settlers as being behind the extinction of the thylacine.

“This was due to the thylacine’s nature as a carnivore, often feeding on livestock, and ultimately leading to its categorization as a pest animal.”

The Australian government attempted to put in protections to keep the thylacine species from going extinct, but the government’s efforts came too late.

“On September 7th, 1936, only two months after the species was granted a protected status, Benjamin, the last known thylacine, died from exposure at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart.”

Like kangaroos, koalas, or wombats, the thylacine is actually a marsupial, pouch and all. These animals were also either mostly or semi-nocturnal, eating at night and sleeping in caves or in tree clusters during the day.

Colossal states, “We have the DNA. We’re well on the path to de-extinction.”

After potentially successfully bringing a thylacine back into existence, Colossal plans to focus on “animal husbandry efforts to raise a healthy population in safe conditions” in partnerships with zoos, universities, and governments.

Jurassic Park-y enough for you?

Amir AliAmir Ali

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