Their efforts were supported and assisted by the public and the state, and were ultimately successful. 

David Owen, A depiction showcasing the intrest that the early settlers had in sheep farming, and their perception of the threat the thylacine posed

“Claimed that thylacines were killing 30,000 to 40,000 sheep each year” (Gmelch)
The public was under the impression that the thylacine was killing their sheep. 

​​​​​​​“In 1888, the state introduced its own bounty scheme after persistent lobbying by land-owners” (Gmelch)
The state began to fund the thylacines extermination after actively being pressured by the public. 
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“Human predation, at a minimum, accounted for over two thousand thylacines presented for government bounty between 1888 and 1912”(Owen)
A morbid account of the numerical quantity of thylacines killed, presenting the data, and addressing who was at fault.

“In a 1937 letter to the Launceston Examiner, a writer expressed the wish that the thylacine be ‘absolutely exterminated, and let its skeleton be the only thing left in our museums to remind us of its depredations... It would be a good thing if the species did become extinct, even at the risk of upsetting the balance of nature.’” (Gmelch)
This powerful quote illuminates the perspective of the people at the time. They truly did want the thylacine to be extinct. They were not ignorant of potential ecological downsides, they were simply motivated by different factors, which have changed since.

So what changed?