Archaeologists conducting surveys at the Juukan Gorge rock shelter in Western Australia, which was tragically destroyed by Rio Tinto in 2020, have made significant discoveries. Among these finds is the tooth of a Tasmanian Devil, a species not previously recorded on the mainland for over 3,000 years.
The Tasmanian Devil, one of the largest carnivorous marsupials globally and a top predator on Australia’s southern island, disappeared from the mainland approximately 3,500 years ago.
These excavations, carried out as part of a remediation agreement between Rio Tinto and the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) peoples, are providing new insights into human habitation spanning at least 46,000 years, throughout the last Ice Age, as stated by the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation.
These discoveries complement earlier excavations conducted in 2008 and 2014, which revealed artifacts such as a length of braided human hair dating back around 5,000 years. This hair showed a genetic connection to present-day Aboriginal people in the Pilbara region. Michael Slack, the excavation director from Scarp Archaeology, emphasized the significance of these findings, highlighting the special and vital nature of this site as recognized by the PKK people.
The destruction of the rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in 2020 sparked widespread outrage, leading to the resignation of top Rio executives and prompting a revision of Western Australia’s heritage protection laws.