Australia is celebrating the arrival of a new tiger cub, weighing just 1.3 kilograms, born just in time for World Tiger Day at Dreamworld’s Tiger Island on the Gold Coast.
The healthy male cub was born early Saturday at 4:15 am, bringing joy to the staff after a challenging pregnancy for nine-year-old mother Nika.
Patrick Martin-Vegue, Tiger Island Manager and veteran of 30 tiger litters expressed his initial concerns due to Nika being a “non-contact” tiger, which made the pregnancy more difficult.
“Knowing how rare these amazing creatures are, it’s always an incredible but nervous time for all of us welcoming a new cub into the world,” Martin-Vegue shared.
After a thorough veterinary check-up, Nika and her cub, who has yet to be named, were declared in perfect health.
Martin-Vegue noted that the cub would gain about one kilogram per week, encouraging visitors to see the tiny cub while he’s still small. This marks the fourth litter born at Dreamworld since Tiger Island’s inception 20 years ago.
The cub will stay close to his mother in the nursery until mid-August, after which he will gradually be introduced to the other tigers in September.
Meanwhile, his father, 11-year-old Raja, will be on display today, with visitors able to view the cub through television monitors set up in the park.
Craig Davidson, Dreamworld’s CEO, highlighted the cub’s significance to the park’s interactive tiger program, which also supports wild tiger conservation efforts.
“This long-awaited and important cub is the first of our new generation of tigers, critical for sustaining our interactive tiger program at Dreamworld that supports saving tigers in the wild,” Davidson said.
Tiger Island is home to 12 tigers—11 adults and a newborn cub. Al Mucci, Dreamworld’s General Manager of Life Sciences and Director of 21st Century Tiger, emphasized the importance of bonding with the cub from birth to ensure continued safe human interaction, a key element of the park’s experience.
“This gives our guests a deeper understanding and appreciation of these majestic animals and encourages empathy for the plight of tigers in the wild,” Mucci explained.
Mucci also noted that Dreamworld has contributed over $2 million to tiger conservation efforts, positioning the park as one of the world’s largest zoological contributors to tiger preservation.
Once the cub grows to an appropriate size, Nika will be back on display at the Tiger Island Lair. Park visitors can support tiger conservation efforts by purchasing balloons for tigers to pop or participating in the Adopt-a-Tiger program to help raise funds.
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