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Formation | March 2012 |
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Type | International non-governmental organization |
Purpose | |
Headquarters | Dreamworld, Gold Coast, Australia |
Region | Worldwide |
Methods |
|
Owner | Ardent Leisure |
Key People | Albano Mucci |
Directors | David Haslingden Greg Yong Guy O'Brien Martin Holslag |
Secretary | Brownyn Weir [1] |
General manager | Michele Barnes |
Parent organization | Dreamworld |
Subsidiaries | Koala Land |
Affiliations | Fauna & Flora International [2] |
Revenue | A$ 2 million (2012-) |
Website | www |
The Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation (DWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 2012. The foundation is based at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Australia. DWF primarily focuses on animal welfare.
The DWF has launched several of project which primarily focuses on bilbies, koalas, tigers and tree kangaroos along with other animals based at the Dreamworld Corroboree and Tiger Island.
Dreamworld had previously run the Dreamworld Tiger Fund from 1997 and had raised over A$1 million over 15 years. [3] The fun relied on merchandise sales, tiger photos and donations from Dreamworld guests. The DWF was established in March 2012, collaborating with existing wildlife conservation groups to bring substantial financial support to the conservation movement on a global scale. Since its foundation, the DWF has launched several projects and has raised over A$2 million from merchandise sales, animal encounters and donations. Since its foundation, the DWF has become the world's largest tiger donor. [4] In March 2021, Dreamworld's General Manager of Life Science, Al Mucci resigned from the DWF. He was replaced by Michelle Barnes. [5]
The DWF has partnered with several other organisations to help contribute to their projects. The DWF is part of the WildCats Conservation Alliance which aims to help tigers and amur leopards. The DWF also partners with the Phoenix Fund, Fauna & Flora International, Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre and the Save the Bilby Fund. The University of Queensland and the DWF also researches on the koala reproductive cycle and they have developed the world's first artificial breeding technology. [6]
Years | Name |
---|---|
2012-2020 | Al Mucci |
2020- | Michele Barnes |
The DWF along with the Save the Bilby fund help to raise money to spread awareness of the steady decline of the bilby population. The fund also helps contribute to education, research and action towards securing a long term conservation towards bilbies. [7]
The DWF launched a project, Koala Land, which focuses on collaborating to help save koalas and their habitats in Southeast Queensland. [8] The project was created with Al Mucci, the General Manager of Life Science at Dreamworld. [9] The DWF does research along with The University of Queensland on koala habitats. Dreamworld also does a wildlife presentation at the Dreamworld Corroboree where guests are informed about Australian animals and the endangered species. [10]
The DWF is part of the Wild Cats Conservation Alliance. The alliance helps save wild tigers and Amur leopards around the world. DWF’s parent company, Dreamworld, has a dedicated area to tigers called Tiger Island. At the end of every Tiger Island Presentation, Dreamworld spreads awareness of issues with poaching of tigers and other animals. [11]
The DWF along with the Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre help rehabilitate orphaned and injured tree kangaroos for release back into the wild. They also help spread awareness of the tree kangaroo and they research into a disease, known as the blindness disease, which affects tree kangaroos. [12]
The DWF runs several animal encounters at Dreamworld. The encounter included: a 15 minutes dingo experience, tiger feed experience and koala photos. The profits made by the encounters help contribute to the foundation. [13]
On 16 December 2018, more than a dozen protestors from the group "Justice for Captives" surrounded the entrance of the Dreamworld theme park. Several protesters had also climbed onto the roof of the entrance. The group had also intruded Sea World and Australian Outback Spectacular within two days. The protestors argued that animals should not be put on display and exploited for photo opportunities and entertainment. [14]
The koala, sometimes called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, dark nose. The koala has a body length of 60–85 cm (24–33 in) and weighs 4–15 kg (9–33 lb). Fur colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas from the northern populations are typically smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. These populations possibly are separate subspecies, but this is disputed.
The greater bilby, or simply bilby, is a long-eared, rabbit-like mammal native to Australia. It lives in burrows and is active at night, feeding on insects, fruit, or fungi. The bilby is a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch. Threats include habitat loss, disease, and introduced predators such as foxes. Formerly widespread, bilbies are now restricted to arid parts of northwestern and central Australia.
Taronga Zoo is a government-run public zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning "beautiful view".
Dreamworld is a theme park and zoo situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is Australia's biggest theme park with over 40 rides and attractions.
The Easter Bilby is an Australian alternative to the Easter Bunny and chocolate bunnies. Bilbies are native Australian marsupials that are endangered. To raise money and increase awareness of conservation efforts, bilby-shaped chocolates and related merchandise are sold within many stores throughout Australia as an alternative to Easter bunnies.
Australia Zoo is a 700-acre (280 ha) zoo in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter and his family's new show Crikey! It's the Irwins made the zoo a popular tourist attraction.
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is an 18-hectare (44-acre) koala sanctuary in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket in Queensland, Australia.
Wild Life Sydney Zoo is a wildlife park in the Darling Harbour precinct, on the western edge of the Sydney central business district, Australia. Opened in September 2006, the zoo is located adjacent to a leisure and retail precinct that includes the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and Madame Tussauds Sydney.
Sydney Zoo is a zoo in Bungarribee in the Western Sydney Parklands, in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Zoo is located 38 kilometres (24 mi) west of the Sydney central business district. It occupies a 16.5-hectare (41-acre) site. Sydney Zoo is a member of the Zoos and Aquariums Association of Australia and New Zealand.
21st Century Tiger raises funds for wild tiger conservation projects. It was formed in 1997 as a partnership between the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Global Tiger Patrol (GTP) and Tusk Force so that the three groups could collaborate, rather than compete, in raising money for tigers in the UK. The two current members of the coalition are ZSL and Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation (DWF). Based in offices provided by ZSL in Regent's Park, London, and with administration funded by a sponsor, it is able to spend 100% of funds raised on tiger projects. 21st Century Tiger is one of the top seven contributors to tiger conservation worldwide and since its inception it has provided over £2 million to over 70 tiger projects in seven countries.
The Billabong Sanctuary is an 11-hectare (27-acre) wildlife sanctuary in Nome, 17 kilometres (11 mi) south of Townsville, North Queensland, Australia.
The Ballarat Wildlife Park is a wildlife park in Ballarat, Victoria. Opened in February 1985, it is privately owned by founder Greg Parker and his wife, Julia Leonard. The 10-hectare park holds over 300 animals, including Australian animals—there are over 100 free-roaming kangaroos—and an extensive collection of reptiles. It was once well known for housing Patrick, the common wombat who was the oldest known marsupial in captivity when he died aged around 30 years old in 2017.
Tiger Island is a wildlife attraction in the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. This exhibit houses for both the Bengal and Sumatran tiger species. The tigers have been raised within the compound and are free to roam and interact with the visitors in the amusement park.
Dreamworld Corroboree is a collection of wildlife attractions at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The area is divided into several subsections which allow guests to view the animals in their natural habitats. Dreamworld Corroboree is a registered zoo with 800 native and barnyard animals located within the Dreamworld grounds.
The history of Dreamworld dates back to the mid-1970s when John Longhurst envisioned the future theme park. After a seven-year construction period, Dreamworld officially opened to the public on 15 December 1981. Now owned by publicly listed Ardent Leisure, the park has seen many expansions, closures and replacements over its 30-year history.
Featherdale Wildlife Park is a zoo located in Doonside, Sydney, Australia. The park is located in Sydney's west, approximately 40 km (25 mi) from Sydney's CBD. The park contains various species native to Australia, and is known to be one of the world's largest collections of Australian fauna. The facility provides displays, events and interactive experiences. The site covers 3.29 hectares, ranging from animal enclosures and display areas to visitor facilities, including picnic spaces, shops and basic amenities. It specialises in Australian native wildlife and birds, as well as reptiles and marsupials. The premises is accredited by the Zoo Aquarium Association Australia.
Wildlife HQ Zoo, is located at the Big Pineapple, Woombye, Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and opened in November 2013. In March 2014 many animals were relocated from the now closed Alma Park Zoo.
Albano Mucci, known as Al Mucci and Wildlife Al. Albano is a champion for environmental management and animal conservation and social justice for Australia's Indigenous Peoples.
Koala conservation organisations, programs and government legislation are concerned with the declining population of koalas, a well known Australian marsupial found in gum trees. The Australian government declared the species as endangered by extinction in 2022.