The simple answer is no - if they are extinct then they are not currently coming back from extinction. There have been efforts to clone them - and some of their genetic material has even been activated in a host mouse - but they are not back. And if they are not extinct, then the question isn’t really valid.

However you might also wonder whether they are coming back from the brink of extinction. Could they still be there in small numbers, and making a recovery? Could their numbers be increasing?

There is a very small chance Tasmanian tigers have survived to the present day. The best evidence, in my opinion, lies with the Adamsfield thylacine. In this account one was accidentally shot dead in 1990. Photographs were taken of the body and of sections of the body - such as the feet, the head, etc. It appears that one of these photographs - of a foot, or feet - was taken to a museum and compared with an actual Tasmanian tiger specimen skin. This comparison between the specimen and the photograph of a foot was then also photographed and these photos have been published. You can read a lengthier reply here on Quora about why I believe it is likely the thylacine has survived.

If the Adamsfield thylacine holds true, then the species survived from the last known zoo specimen, which died in 1936, to at least 1990 - that’s 54 years. From 1990 to the present day is another 28 years. It is possible the tiger would survive these additional years to the present day, especially in Tasmania’s south west which has been relatively untouched, but whether it is making a comeback - gaining in numbers - from the brink of extinction, is impossible to say.

The Adamsfield thylacine does not presently constitute proof that the thylacine has survived, but it is compelling evidence. I believe if there was an amnesty on information regarding Tasmanian tigers surviving to the present day which guarantees anonymity for anyone contributing information, and which guarantees protection from prosecution (in the event a Tasmanian tiger has died), that there would be a strong chance someone could come forward with convincing evidence relating to the Adamsfield thylacine which would take the species off the extinction list.

You can also find out more about Tasmanian tigers - including the examination of the evidence for many sighting claims - at my website Where Light Meets Dark or follow along on Facebook Where Light Meets Dark.