After just over three years since last visiting, I went to Dreamworld on today’s public holiday (fortunately I wasn’t the one paying the exorbitant entrance fee!). It rained for most of the morning but it cleared up soon after meaning I had the wildlife sections mostly to myself for the majority of the day. General observations are below and for more photos from today's visit see here [Dreamworld - ZooChat]: at Tiger Island it was good to see the park’s two Sumatran Tigers Jaya and Shanti on-show in the side exhibit opposite the main moated enclosure. One of the females was right against the glass sheltering from the rain. Later in the day hybrid tigers Javi and Zakari were moved into the exhibit after midday. The females bred in 2015 were on display in the main enclosure as usual and I couldn’t see the occupants in the third (the lair) enclosure. the nocturnal house is currently closed for renovations and all the birds are not currently in the walkthrough aviary presumably due to the construction. There is however still the small aviary within the walkthrough aviary. It contained a Tawny Frogmouth, a large lively flock of White-browed Woodswallows, Bar-shouldered Doves, Pacific Emerald Doves and the stunning male Regent Bowerbird. I was pleased to see there is still at least one Northern Snapping Turtle mixed with the three Freshwater Crocodiles and Brisbane River Turtles. A really impressive looking turtle and a good point of difference. the dingo and red kangaroo/emu exhibits were looking good. A second Emu has arrived since my last visit in 2019 and there were two young Red Kangaroos. A Woma Python has replaced the Spiny-tailed Monitor and the Stimson’s Python and Black-headed Python are still in their respective exhibits. The wombat and bilbies were very active. only one Brolga on show now rather than a previous pair and there was no Australian Pelican seen nor signed anymore. A Green Tree Python is still on-display in a small exhibit behind the Saltwater Crocodiles. a wild Coastal Carpet Python [wild - Coastal Carpet Python - ZooChat] was seen clearly near vegetation behind the eagle enclosure much to the panic of a few visitors. Wild Plumed Whistling Ducks and Magpie Geese added a lot of character and activity to the whole area as always. Main highlights:
In 2019 it had Tawny Frogmouth and Squirrel Gliders in one exhibit, Barn Owl in another, a large Cane Toad and a Darwin Carpet Python. The bilbies have their own nocturnal house in the arid zone.
Anyone privy to the news of Tiger Islands further 1 million dollar upgrade along with no handler and tiger interactions for 12-18 months? I can't provide an official source at this stage apart from it was announced at the '2022 Dreamworld Investment' event this morning.
*Taken from a post on Facebook* The Future of Dreamworld - Tiger Island Evolution Changes to Tiger Island were also announced today. We have sought further clarification, and have the following to share with you. “Tigers are an incredibly important element of the Dreamworld experience, first being introduced in 1995, offering a unique experience in which handlers interact directly with tigers. Having undergone significant review and consideration, in 12 – 18 months, Dreamworld’s Tiger Island will transition to an environment in which tigers and handlers do not interact directly. Dreamworld’s Tiger Island remains committed to providing the best possible care for the welfare of their tigers and will work closely with both our expert team and external specialists to ensure a smooth transition. An accredited member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA), Dreamworld’s transition keeps pace with developments in animal welfare science and aims to meet community expectations in relation to caring for exotic animals. Tiger Island remains a critical part of the experience at Dreamworld, and guests will continue seeing tigers on exhibit into the future. Educational presentations about the importance of tiger conservation will also continue to take place, and the business will continue investing in Tiger Island. Dreamworld remains committed to conservation and makes meaningful change via the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation, which has supported tiger conservation projects in the field via Wildcats Conservation Alliance. “
This is an interesting development, but a good move in my opinion. Free contact with tigers was an accident waiting to happen with several incidents both here and Australia Zoo, who also practice free contact. It'll be interesting to see if this influences a shift back towards breeding Sumatrans. They have their token white tigers and their orange generics will soon be no more appealing than mother-raised Sumatrans given there will be no contact with either.
I agree, I wasn't expecting this news, but I'm also not a massive fan of free contact with big cats. I know that Dreamworld contribute a lot financially to in-situ conversation, which is great, although a phase out of breeding generics in favour of Sumatrans would be good too.
Rather surprising news - makes me wonder if something happened that made them change their approach on free contact with their tigers?
This explanation was given by Dreamworld: An accredited member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA), Dreamworld’s transition keeps pace with developments in animal welfare science and aims to meet community expectations in relation to caring for exotic animals. It implies public pressure was behind the decision. Exotic pet breeding facilities in the US and tourist traps in Asia have come under fire re. ethical treatment of tigers for, so it’s possible Dreamworld (while a respected facility) is being tarred with the same brush by the general public. As a member of the ZAA - they also likely want to align themselves with their management practices. Free contact with big cats is condemned by almost every world class zoo.
It was mentioned in the papers on 22 September 23 that the former tiger manager had left the job at DW
Wasn't even an accident waiting to happen. Have heard numerous incidences in the past (not sure about more recently) of near-misses and minor injuries. Amazed it's taken this long for the interactions to cease. And yes there has been subtle pressure from the Association over the years that they should move away from direct contact. Ridiculous education message.
The Nocturnal House has officially been reopened (as per Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation's instagram) under the name 'Twilight Trail'. A few new species have been added, with the species list being (according to their hashtags): - Squirrel Glider - Nightjar - Tawny Frogmouth - Masked Owl (Barn Owl) - Rufous Bettong - Carpet Python (assumedly Darwin) - Cane Toad - Unnamed Scorpion - Unnamed Leaf Insect Full video here: DWF on Instagram: "When night falls, our backyards come to life! You may not know it, but an entire ecosystem may be as close as outside your kitchen window. From the important pollination of a squirrel glider, to the pest control conducted by birds of prey and snakes. It is amazing how many nocturnal species call Australia home! You can visit some of Dreamworld’s NEW ambassador species in the Twilight Trail today! #wildlife #nocturnal #nightlife #nighttime #glider #squirrelglider #nightjar #tawny #tawnyfrogmouth #barnowl #maskedowl #bettong #rufousbettong #scorpion #rainforest #canetoad #python #junglepython #phasmid #phasmids #goldcoast #queensland #australia"
Of course it was closed when I visited a week ago . At least the species list looks good after the nocturnal house being closed for almost a year. I have the annual pass so I'll try to make a visit this weekend & write an accurate species list. Hopefully that means birds have been reintroduced to the main aviary again, maybe even some new species?
