1936-1937

MAFFRA, Wednesday.
     The "Briagolong Tiger" has been caught at last—and has proved to be a large dingo which, in death, measured eight feet from nose to tail, and which, tufted and streaked with white, is so unlike a dingo as to justify the many aliases that from time to time had been thrust on it by startled residents.
     The dingo fell a victim to poison laid by Mr. A. Grogan in the carcase of a sheep upon the property of Mr. H. Miller, of Upper Maffra, who estimates that during the last 12 months it had destroyed sheep valued at £200. Mr. Miller's property is 18 miles from Briagolong. There is little doubt, locally that the dingo is identical with the mysterious animal which has been seen often in the district.
     Frequent sudden appearances of the "tiger" had led to wide variation in its description. It became known as the "Maffra Leopard," it was believed to have escaped fiom a circus. It had been described by observers (on the run) as, possibly, the survivor of a vanishing race. Learned, as well as flippant, men discussed its vagaries.
     Examination of the carcase reveals some cause for all the conjecture — the dingo's body is brightly yellow, the tail is large bushy and white tufted, there is a vivid dorsal stripe of white, and its size is extraordinary.
     The history of Briagolong's "tiger" is marked not only with sheep killings but with vivious maimings and at one stage of its highly colourful life it established a minor reign of terror among those who were obliged to travel lonely roads by night. To-day they retell their experiences with a liveliness of detail that is stimulated by
the visible evidence.
     The dingo is easily the largest that has been caught in the Gippsland district, where farmers say that it may be a new species. Experiments have yet to be made with the dingo's pads, but it is considered certain that their imprints will be identical with those which have been discovered often near the scenes of sheep killings.

MELBOURNE, Monday.
     Mr. H. Miller, on whose property at Upper Maffra a big dingo has been poisoned, and was thought to be Briagolong's mystery animal, said that the animal did not measure 8ft. from nose to tip of tail, as reported, but
only 5ft. 8in.
     "It is certainly a large specimen of a dingo," he added; "but I do not think that it is the mystery animal that has been wandering around Culloden and north of Briagolong."
     Mr. R. A. Estoppey, of Cullendon, near Briagolong, is still convinced that the dingo is not the mystery animal which has been roaming the hills near there for the past two and a half years.
     "In practically all of the tracks ??? saw in soft ground," said Mr. Estoppey, "no claw marks were visible. This is consistent with my theory that the mystery animal is a large member of the cat family, such as a tiger.
     "Members of the cat family always keep their claws well sheathed and out of the way to protect them, unless they need to grip something, to defend themselves, or make a kill.

STRIPED LIKE TIGER

"On one occasion, on the steep, muddy bank of George's Creek I saw where the animal had slipped. The marks of sharp claws were visible as if the animal had splayed them in an effort to stop the slide. At all other times, however, the imprints have shown no claws.
     "The dingo would at all times show the claw marks in its tracks, because members of the dog family do not draw their claws back into sheathes.
     "Tracks of the mystery animal that have measured are 6in. long and 4½in. wide. In October last year I shot a dingo which measured 5ft. 1in. from the nose to the tip of the tail, but the imprints of its feet mensuren only 3in. by 2½in."
     Mr. Estoppey said that all descriptions of the mystery animal from persons who have seen it gave the animal black stripes running down its sides, just like those of a tiger.
     The mystery animal also had a roar like one of the large Carnivora.

In an endeavor to have the wild dog menace dealt with in a more effective way than in the past, Gelantipy Progress Association has submitted proposals to the Tambo Shire Council, which will be referred to the next conference of the Gippsland Shires and Boroughs' Association for recommendation to the Government for adoption.
     The proposals are—
     That a bonus of £5 per head be paid for wild dogs.
     That officers of the Vermin Destruction department be appointed to receive skins and scalps of wild dogs and distribute fees for destruction of the dogs.
     That officers be appointed to destroy any other kind of dogs permit ted to roam in country districts with out anyone in charge.
     That, if necessary, the Dog Act be amended to enable the foregoing proposals to be carried out.
     Mr. T. J. A. Hodge, who was formerly a member of the council, said the proposals made were fully discussed recently at a meeting of the Gelantipy Progress Association. It was considered a wise suggestion to ask the Government to pay £5 per head for the destruction of wild dogs in Victoria on account of the great losses sustained by sheep owners, whose flocks suffered depletion at times to an alarming extent by the depredations of dingoes.
     At present in the Tambo shire a bonus of 15/ per head was paid for the destruction of wild dogs-half of the amount being paid to the council by the Government.

CROWN LANDS BREEDING GROUND.

     In asking the Government to in crease the bonus sheep owners felt justified in doing so, because they considered that it was on Crown Lands that the dingoes bred in large numbers. The Government received a good deal of revenue from such lands for grazing fees, and where Crown land abutted private property, paid half the cost of wire netting to combat the rabbit pest.
     The proposal to have officers of the Vermin Destruction department appointed to administer, the wild dog bonus was made to relieve shire secretaries of a great difficulty in identifying skins and scalps. The men associated with the department would be better qualified to keep a close check on the administration.

HALF-BREEDS GREATER MENACE.

     The motion relating to the destruction of dogs permitted to roam at large was passed because dogs that bred with dingoes produced a worse type than the dingo. The dingo was very cautious and would hesitate to go over fences, whereas the half breed was of a far more daring and more destructive type.

ALSATIAN-DINGO CROSS.

The discovery of a dingo bitch with four half-bred Alsatian pups confirmed the belief that a great danger existed in permitting Alsatian dogs to roam at large in country districts. Mr. Hodge stated that his son had captured four of the Alsation-Dingo half-breeds and these were subsequently eiamined by experts who definitely agreed that the pups were of the Alsation cross.
     After brief discussion, the council decided on the motion of Cr. Gillies and Cr. Coate to submit proposals to the annual Conference of the Gippsland Shires and Boroughs Development Association.

Sir, — If an amendment to the Dog Bill providing for the sterilisation of dogs had been adopted the Government might have got somewhere. The tax of £2/10/ a head is useless also the provision that when not on their owners premises these dogs must be either muzzled or led. While this would prevent them from attacking people there is nothing to prevent a muzzled dog from crossing with other breeds. Many people with no experience say that Alsatians will not cross with dingoes. I, and scores of other people in East Gippsland, know that they will. I have had 30 years expeirence of dingoes or wild dogs (the pure bred dingo being almost extinct In Victoria). During the last year I and others have been heavy losers of sheep through the depredations of wild dogs of the dingo-Alsatian cross.

Yours, &c,
T. J. A. HODGE.
Bairnsdale, Dec. 17.

MORNINGTON, Friday.
Interest was aroused in Mornington to-day at the reported appearance of a strange animal. It was described by a local resident and his wife, who saw it on a ledge of rocks at Fossil Beach, as being much larger than an Alsatian dog, with a head resembling a cat, a long thin body, and a long striped tail. Those who saw it were Mr. and Mrs. W. Cox, of Beachgrove, who were walking on the bench. They were convinced that the animal much resembled a tiger. It look no notice of them.

The incident was at once reported to the police, who immediately went to investigate, but did not see any trace of the creature. Residents, Including a big game hunter who has had experience in the jungles of India, took part in the search.

This is an interesting case and it may be worthwhile having a closer look.

Nobody spent more time attempting to get to the bottom of the mystery than R. A. Estoppey and he came to the conclusion that it was indeed a tiger on the loose in Gippsland. In the end, he came up empty-handed. What happened there? How could he have been so mistaken?

Estoppey was the forest ranger of the district as well as the assistant inspector of fisheries and game – he certainly was no chump – yet by the end of the saga he was only referred to as a “resident” of the local area.
Did this very public gaffe cost Estoppey his job? What is his past and whatever became of R. A. Estoppey?

To what extent did history repeat itself? Can anything be learned by comparing the Briagolong Tiger of the 1930s with the Tantanoola Tiger from 40 years earlier? How does it relate to modern day Big Cat sightings in Australia?

So many questions...

Damn, I love this hobby o’ mine.

ES(NW) 30.10.2012