Original Date Published: 21 July 2025

Listen to the soundtrack for this: https://youtu.be/c-WZKCHQxyE

Coorinna is a 1954 xenofiction book written by Erle Wilson.

The story follows the life of the Coorinna, one of the last Thylacines of Tasmania, as he tries to survive and thrive in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to species.

You'll notice that he's missing an ear. This is because of a narrow escape with a shepherd who tries to shoot him.Coorinna comes from the Peerapper (Pirapa) word Coorinna (Kurina) which means Thylacine.

I love this story so much. I literally couldn't stop crying while reading it. Thylacines are one of my favourite mammals, and this is only pre-internet Thylacine xenofiction I've ever been able to find.

My only main criticism is that Erle Wilson portrays Thylacines as actually being able to hunt sheep. In reality, they were not capable of killing sheep at all. Farmers blamed Thylacines for the death of their sheep (that died due to bad farming techniques) as justification to eradicate them. Unfortunately, it worked, and now the Thylacines are all gone.

But not the Thylacines that dwell in our imaginations, and in our stories, art, and music. They will live for ever.