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Discussion in 'Australia' started by zooboy28, 10 Nov 2013.

  1. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  2. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  3. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I do find the standard usage of this very irritating nowadays- it also eclipses the fewer situations where it is actually true or relevant.
     
  4. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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    And according to this article, the renovated Tiger Island will open in September, including a new pool, grandstand and underwater viewing area: No Cookies | Gold Coast Bulletin
     
  5. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  6. Jabiru96

    Jabiru96 Well-Known Member

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  7. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    Dreamworld have teased a new arrival coming later this month (27 June), stating on Facebook that "The great whites are coming...", with a image of a white creature with blue eyes. I am guessing this refers to white lions, but it could be just more white tigers, or even snow leopards, or perhaps something completely different.
     
  8. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    It essentially implies white lions, unless it's adult white tigers as what exactly makes new white tiger cubs 'great whites.' I can't imagine Dreamworld holding snow leopards tbh. The attraction is called 'Tiger Island' so I'm not sure how white lions would fit into this however. They've had pumas in the past, but these have always played second fiddle to the tigers, in both size and media hype/crowd pulling so were always a secondary attraction at Tiger Island.

    I can't imagine any reason they'd import adult white tigers as cubs are a bigger crowd puller and it would be easier for staff to build a relationship with a tiger they had reared from a newborn. If they wanted to expand their tiger population, the logical move would be to breed one of the Bengal males with one of the White Bengal females.

    Personally, I'd rather see Dreamworld focus on breeding and holding the Sumatran sub species as they have a number of spaces which could be allocated to holding this species and contributing to the regional breeding programme, but in reality the majority of the visitors come to see the white tigers and if this equates to more financial contributions towards conservation, then I suppose the ends justifies the means.
     
  9. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    the picture is a white lion. Dreamworld formerly held two separate pairs from National Zoo as a temporary display (in 2011). With the numbers of white lions now in Australia, I would suggest they are now getting some permanently.
     
  10. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    While not a fan of anything mutant whites ... (pfffhhh mweehhh), the Dreamworld park is not a huge zoo set up for native endangered species (f.i. Lumholtz's tree kangaroo, koala and bilby), if it pays the bills and ensures they can continue and expand these good on them.
     
  11. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I'm no expert, but I also believe white lions are generally spared the abnormalities that afflict the white tigers (clubbed feet, eye problems etc.), they even appear naturally in the wild in some reserves.

    And yes, you make a good point @Kifaru Bwana, if conservation work is achieved through the exhibition of these animals, then that;s no bad thing.

    It'll be interesting to see where Dreamworld go with this, whether it's to import cubs, or an off display breeding pair they can breed from (like with the Sumatran tigers).
     
  12. Riley

    Riley Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Altina wildlife park have just posted on Facebook that two young male white lions will be leaving the park for a 3 week "holiday" at Dreamworld before returning home again. I'm assuming this is a bit of publicity for Dreamworld to attract more visitors over the school holidays.
     
  13. tetrapod

    tetrapod Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Could this be due to a slightly broader genetic base then the white tigers? The white tiger story (and I'm not sure how many of the facts are 100% true) has heavy inbreeding to encourage the white gene, and also breeding for other particular strains like the completely white and golden tabby tigers. And while white lions are not strictly a product of captivity I would suggest that they have been heavily managed at Timbavati for quite a long time. Anyway I'm not a fan of either and feel there is no conservation value in keeping the white freaks. Education value? Possibly, if you talk about genetics.
     
  14. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    You're right @tetrapod, all white tigers are descended from a single male White Bengal Tiger named Mohan, who was captured in the wild in 1951. Mohan was bred to an Orange Bengal Tiger and then bred to one of his normally coloured daughters (who carried the recessive white gene). This produced the first litter of white tiger cubs born in captivity.

    White lions have a much wider genetic base and do indeed occur natrually in the wild/wildlife reserves. I have no issue with them, as ambassador animals as people have a huge interest in them and this in turn raises money for conservation through admissions and donations. I don't think purebred sub species of tigers should take a back seat in any institution however because of these mutant hybrids.

    My only objection to white tigers and white lions etc. is when every media outlet seems to progate the idea they are an endangered species and celebrate evey birth like the zoo has resolved world hunger.
     
  15. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Except it would be easier and cheaper to talk about genetics with a collection of multi-coloured budgerigars.
     
  16. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Precisely, and unfortunately very often the institutions breeding them do nothing do discourage this.

    Unfortunately I find that often those zoos that concentrate on "white things" (so including things like white kangaroos as well) don't do much for conservation anyway. As an example amongst our competitors locally we have two wildlife parks that breed white kangaroos and wallabies. Neither does anything real for conservation and both promote their "rare" white animals.

    Some operators have told me they need the white animals to survive, and having struggled for many years ourselves I can understand this. However I do think that at a certain point operators of zoos and wildlife parks have to decide if they are showmen or educators and conservationists.
     
    DavidBrown, Kifaru Bwana and Zoofan15 like this.
  17. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Tigeress Sita sadly passed away in May this year:

    No Cookies | Gold Coast Bulletin

    Dreamworld community in mourning after its oldest tiger Sita dies of kidney disease

    Dreamworld is in mourning after its oldest tiger, Sita died at the age of 18.

    The matriarch of the theme park’s tiger family passed away from kidney disease.

    Sita, who was born at the park in 1998 and was one of its “awesome pawsome” has been one of the park’s mainstay attractions and a beloved icon for conservation efforts.

    Her death comes
    less than a year after that of her brother Sultan, who also died of kidney disease at age 17

    Rama is now the only one of the four still kept on Tiger Island.

    Dreamworld’s life sciences general manager Al Mucci said Sita will be remembered as a conservation hero for wild tigers.

    “Sita has been a phenomenal ambassador for the plight of the endangered wild tiger, with contributions from her tiger walks and guest photos going directly to funding tiger conservation efforts throughout the world,” Mr Mucci said on Wednesday.

    Dreamworld says the park’s Wildlife Foundation, founded a year before Sita’s birth, has raised over $2 million for endangered tigers worldwide.

    Mr Mucci said while park staff were understandably saddened by the news, they remained focused on preserving a future for wild tigers.

    “We cannot let one of the world’s most iconic predators become extinct in the wild,” he said.
     
  18. WhistlingKite24

    WhistlingKite24 Well-Known Member 10+ year member Premium Member

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    Jambo likes this.
  19. OskarGC

    OskarGC Well-Known Member

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    There are no cougars at Dreamworld
     
  20. Zoofan15

    Zoofan15 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    They used to have two females (sisters) named Sierra and Inca. They were born 04/07/1995 and arrived as three week old cubs the same year Tiger Island opened. Sierra and Inca died in 2016 and 2018.

    There is now only one Puma left in the country - an elderly female at Zambi Wildlife Retreat; though I’ve heard talk of Australia Zoo wanting to import the species.