‘YOUR BLOODY TIGERS HAVE BEEN PEEING ON MY AZALEAS’
... AND OTHER THINGS OVERHEARD BEHIND THE SCENES AT DREAMWORLD
THE tree doesn’t stand a chance.
For 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, the 99kg tiger leans back on her hind legs, stretches to her full height and repeatedly rips her claws across its trunk with all her might.
Scratching. Tearing. Shredding. Shards of wood fly left and right and for a moment, one could be forgiven for forgetting this isn’t an Asian jungle and some poor bugger is actually going to be fuming when he sees all that bark on the ground.
“I’ll often have the head gardener have a go at me about what the cats have got up to on their morning walk,” laughs Al Mucci, the man who oversees Dreamworld’s huge animal collection, including the 11 residents of Tiger Island.
“He’ll say ‘Your bloody tigers have been p***ing on the azaleas I just planted’ but they are the management challenges of having big cats in a tourist facility like ours. Cats want to do what cats want to do and other departments have to accept that.
“The cats always win out because we don’t want to hinder what they do.”
The tiger doing the shredding is Akasha. The one patiently waiting for her is Adira. Together they are doing what they do most days before the theme park throws open its doors to the masses – going for a stroll.
Out of Tiger Island. Past the Tower of Terror. Along the Dreamworld Express railway line. Left near the old Big Brother house and into a huge paddock that sometimes acts as a carpark but today is home to three of the biggest piles of koala leaves you’ve ever seen.
“Cats love to get in nooks and crannies,” Mucci explains as the playful pair bound up their gumleaf castle, their noses burrowing amid the foliage as their handlers keep a firm grip on their chains.
“They love jumping and playing among the leaves. They also get enrichment from smelling other animals, which keeps their senses alive.”
The Bulletin has been granted exclusive access to Adira and Akasha’s morning walk on the eve of today’s Global Tiger Day, an international initiative to raise funds for and awareness of wild tiger conservation.
It’s a big day for Dreamworld and its wildlife foundation – family-themed events during the day, a VIP event tonight and a message they want to shout from the top of The Giant Drop.
“The conservation work we’re able to do overseas all stems from this,” Mucci says of Tiger Island and its array of guest experiences such as Tiger Walk, Tiger Photo and Tiger Feed.
“We allow guests to have a close-up experience with a live carnivore that has been hand-
reared and is comfortable around people, which can then lead to empathy and them thinking ‘ Why are we losing them? We need to do something’.
“You can’t underestimate the big picture, which is what is happening in the wild. A century ago there were 100,000 tigers around the world. Today there are less than 4000 … but the donations we get from doing this allow us to have overseas programs that protect tigers and support others.”
Asked about critics of tigers being raised in captivity, Mucci doesn’t hesitate.
“Let’s talk about myths,” he says. “They say we drug the ti- gers to make them (do) this (guest walk). You can clearly see we don’t do anything.
“Our collective team has 100 years of experience … we have RSPCA Queensland involved in all our behavioural decisions. We think we know the best for the cats but it’s good to have an independent opinion. We just want the best for our animals.”
Proof of that comes when conversation turns to Cita, the first tiger to be born at Dreamworld 19 years ago and who was euthanased last month due to kidney failure.
“It’s very emotional because you can see her going downhill and know what’s likely going to happen,” says Patrick Martin-Vegue, who founded Tiger Island 22 years ago and is still there as manager.
“I get pretty noticeably sad … it’s not easy knowing what has to happen that (final) day.”
And how does the team ultimately say goodbye?
“She was cremated and we spread her ashes at Tiger Island,” Mucci reveals. “I’m not going to say where. That’s a personal thing with the handlers.
“All the cats we’ve farewelled are part of Tiger Island. They’re part of the history of what we’ve been doing for 20 years. They’re part of the family forever.”