Tiger time a treat for environment students

Group of environment students at Dreamworld's Tiger Island
The Conservation in Practice Thailand group at Dreamworld

Participants in the School of Environment’s Conservation in Practice Thailand course enjoyed a tigerish treat at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast this week, meeting the theme park’s newest tiger cub, Kai.

Mr Al Mucci, Dreamworld’s General Manager Life Sciences and the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation, invited students and staff to attend a tailored educational interaction session to learn about Dreamworld’s conservation programs.

This included getting up close and personal with Kai, and hearing a talk by Tiger Island Manager, Mr Patrick Martin-Vengue, who has worked with tigers for more than 35 years.

“We are proud to be a partner with Griffith University’s Conservation in Practice course,” said Mr Mucci.

Dreamworld's Mr Al Mucci, with the theme park's newest tiger cub, Kai
Students meet Dreamworld’s newest tiger cub, Kai

“Dreamworld is passionate and committed to saving the remaining 3,000 tigers left in the wild and supports conservation funds including 21st Century Tiger, the Phoenix Fund and Fauna & Flora International.

“Since 2006, we have donated more than $2 million to saving tigers in the wild, making Dreamworld the biggest zoological contributor to 21st Century Tiger.IMG_20151123_135703

“Dreamworld and Griffith University also have a long research history together through the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation.”

Next week, students will join the World Wildlife Fund’s tiger monitoring program in Thailand’s Kui Buri National Park. The visit will include camera trapping and monitoring tigers in the wild.

Convened by Professor Jean-Marc Hero, Conservation in Practice is an award-winning course within Griffith’s Global Mobility program.

The course allows students to enhance their degrees through global work-integrated learning, immersing them in real life field research and experience in “conservation in practice”.

Through field visits, lectures, case studies, guest lecturers and, for the Thailand group, even a visit to the Australian Ambassador’s Residence in Bangkok, students gain an appreciation of the practicalities of conservation and how local communities, management agencies, research institutes, global NGOs, private industry and governments work together to achieve conservation outcomes on a global scale.

Thailand is one of 48 countries offering opportunities to Griffith students and Dreamworld provides in-kind support for the course in Thailand.