Venues & Events
Australia's Gold Coast welcomes new furry friends
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- Category: Venues & Events
- Created on Friday, 13 April 2012 09:20
Australia's Gold Coast welcomes new furry friends
Dreamworld on Australia’s Gold Coast welcomed an Easter surprise last week, with the arrival of two, four week old, male Bengal tiger cubs.The two bundles of bounce have joined the park’s renowned tiger program, and are expected to grow from their five kilograms to over 200 kilograms once fully grown.
Arriving from a New South Wales based private exhibit, Dreamworld’s General Manager of Life Sciences, Al Mucci, said the tiger cubs will enjoy an enriching life at Dreamworld developing their innate skills under the watchful eyes of their adoptive human dads and big cat aunts and uncles.
“Our handlers are very experienced in raising cubs, having bred two litters here at Tiger Island and taking in a number of cubs from other zoos. At Dreamworld the cubs will learn a range of social skills from both the handlers and the older tigers which will result in well-grounded cubs with a good level of social interaction.”
The boys will spend their first few weeks exploring their new surrounds and getting acquainted with their handlers before they are introduced to the adult tigers. They will have a host of enriching experiences to undertake and we are looking forward to watching them grow.”
The two cubs will join Dreamworld’s Bengal tiger program to become ambassadors for tiger species around the world. Through daily shows that display their strength, agility and size, these cats inspire park guests to contribute to tiger conservation.
Dreamworld is passionate and committed to saving tigers in the wild and through the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation’s Tiger Island Conservation Fund has donated $1.4 million dollars to the cause since 2006. This contribution places Dreamworld as the world’s largest zoological contributor of funds to 21st Century Tiger assisting with anti-poaching measures, education, habitat restoration and monitoring in tiger populate regions.
The fund supports a total of 13 full-time patrol members in Sumatra (4) and Vladivostock (9) to ensure the protection of Sumatran and Amur tigers in the wild. Their role is to apprehend poachers, monitor tiger and supporting species populations, and educate locals on how to protect the relevant tiger species and its natural habitat.
“Our hope is that as guests admire these amazing animals at Tiger Island, they will learn about the plight of the tiger and be inspired to help conserve these endangered species,” Mr Mucci continued.
Guests can help raise funds for the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation’s Tiger Island Conservation Fund by participating in tiger experiences at Dreamworld. A portion of the funds raised through these experiences are donated directly to the cause.
Considered one of the world’s leading tiger exhibits, Dreamworld’s Tiger Island is more than 1,600 square metres in size and features a 13 square metre pool, in which tigers swim throughout the day. The cats also enjoy a range of enrichment experiences from off-exhibit hideaways, guest experiences such as tiger walks, feeds and photos and new exhibit, The Lair.
Dreamworld visitors enjoy uninterrupted views of the tigers and handlers playing together from across the Tiger Island moat and the chance to walk alongside them at The Lair, the park’s new exotic animal exhibit.
With the addition of the two cubs, Dreamworld is now home to 15 tigers, including nine Bengal and six Sumatran tigers. The park also houses two cougars.
The Bengal cubs are on full public display in Dreamworld’s tiger cub enclosure and it is hoped they will begin guest encounters in the coming weeks.
