For 25 years Dreamworld has been operating a wildlife animal facility. Dreamworld makes contributions from its Conservation Fund to support organisations, like the Save the Bilby Fund & the Australian Koala Foundation. Dreamworld’s Tiger Island also plays a leading role in tiger conservation world-wide.
Conservation Programs
Dreamworld is one of South East Queensland’s largest native wildlife parks, caring for over 500 native animals and birds, many of which are critically endangered.
Dreamworld has developed a conservation strategic plan to guide the co-ordination management and communication with regard to its support of conservation and research initiatives. This will assist Dreamworld as an organisation to effectively consider financial contributions to bona-fide external research and conservation projects.
Dreamworld’s dedicated wildlife team has achieved amazing results with education, breeding, habitat and re-introduction programs in external projects.
The care and welfare of our animals is Dreamworld’s number one priority.
Wildlife Conservation
Dreamworld is a Gold Sponsor of the Save the Bilby Fund and the Australian Koala Foundation donating cash and support to help save these endangered Aussie icons. Dreamworld also makes a contribution to koala research working closely with the University of Queensland.
Dreamworld also actively participates in local and national initiatives aimed at the conservation and research of species including Koalas,
Cassowaries, Kroombit tinkerfrogs, Tasmanian Devils, Cassowaries,
Common Wombats and the critically endangered Southern Hairy-nosed
Wombat.
Dreamworld has made significant donations to fund anti-poaching patrols and conservation initiatives in Russia and Indonesia to help save the tigers in the wild.
Saving the Kroombit Tinkerfrog
The Kroombit tinkerfrog is amongst Australia’s most endangered animal. Fewer than 140 frogs remain in the wild. Unless animals can be bred in captivity the Kroombit tinkerfrog will soon be extinct.
Dreamworld is working collaboratively with Griffith University to acquire knowledge of the reproductive biology of this species and has provided funding towards field conservation work. This initial funding will ensure that the husbandry needs of this species will also be progressed in collaborative arrangements between Queensland zoological institutions, Griffith University and the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM).
Knowledge and expertise gained from these projects may not only help save the Kroombit tinkerfrog but also assist other critically endangered frog species whilst scientists and government try to resolve the threatening processes.
Save the Bilby
Dreamworld is a Gold Sponsor of the Save the Bilby Fund, who work to bring the bilby back from the brink of extinction.
Dreamworld is the only Queensland non-government institution for approval to breed bilbies for release back into their natural environment.
Dreamworld opened a Semi-Nocturnal Bilby House to increase awareness about bilby conservation and the plight of this unique animal.
Dreamworld donations assist important conservation initiatives of the Save the Bilby Fund including the construction of a feral-proof, bilby fence in Currawinya National Park in South-West Queensland, the area used to release bilbies back into the wild as part of the Recovery Plan for the species. Click here to learn more.
Dreamworld also takes the bilby conservation message on the road through a mobile education unit, Wildlife for Kids, reaching over 10,000 students every year.
Tiger Fund
Dreamworld’s Tiger Island plays a leading role in tiger conservation world-wide through donations and hands-on involvement with conservation projects. Established in 1996, the Tiger Fund is designed to collect money through a number of activities carried out by Dreamworld's tigers and through the educational, conservation based Tiger Island exhibit.
In effect, Dreamworld’s tigers actively raise money every day to save their own species all over the world.
With the birth of two litters of Sumatran tiger cubs at Dreamworld, people have a new awareness of the grim future faced by these precious animals in the wild.
Dreamworld contributes much needed funds to the following organisations:
Check out
Helping Save Tigers for more information.
Koalas
Dreamworld’s Australian Wildlife Experience is home to the second largest koala colony in captivity in the world.
Dreamworld is a gold sponsor of the Australian Koala Foundation. Collaboratively we are involved in numerous education and awareness campaigns to protect the last remaining habitat for this unique Australian marsupial. Dreamworld also supports the habitat mapping that the AKF has produced as research into wild koala population decline.
Thanks to the AKF foster program, Dreamworld's koalas already help save their cousins in the wild and are therefore the only animal at Dreamworld that cannot be chosen in our Adopt an Animal program. However, if you wish to adopt Dreamworld's koala’s, you can visit AKF website.
The money generated from the AKF Foster Program is also used for wild koala research and conservation programs.
Dreamworld is also involved in providing world’s best practice in koala husbandry and reproductive biology in collaboration with University of Queensland. Our artificial insemination project is world class and have bred up to 32 joeys using this technique.
Wombat Husbandry and Research
Dreamworld is involved in the management of captive wombats in several capacities; by its own collection and in collaboration with other zoological and research institutions.
We are embarking on a campaign to breed Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats successfully based on husbandry recommendations. A national workshop was recently hosted by Dreamworld to progress the reproductive success of this species.
Our veterinary department is investigating urinary tract disease amongst Common Wombats to better understand the reproductive husbandry of the animal.
Finally, we are collaborating with Tasmanian authorities and Trowunna Wildlife Park to radio track rehabilitated injured young wombats to determine the success of the rehabilitation work. This is a long term project.
Saving the Tasmanian Devil
Dreamworld has signed an agreement in collaboration with the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and the Department of Primary Industries and Water, Tasmania (DPIW), to be part of the Tasmanian Devil Captive Insurance Program. The captive Insurance Program has been developed to co-ordinate the management of a population of Tasmanian Devils in ZAA institutions on mainland Australia, for the purpose of providing "insurance" against further catastrophic declines in the wild due to the emergence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). Dreamworld’s donations help to fund the program.
