Dreamworld: Koala conservation or contradiction?
News
Dreamworld promote themselves as a champion of koala conservation. But their multimillion-dollar expansion plans tell a very different story.
Image: Koala in outdoor viewing enclosure at Dreamworld. Credit: World Animal Protection / Carol Slater
Popular Australian theme park, Dreamworld, is making headlines for development plans that could reportedly clear mapped koala habitat areas. The news comes as the theme park is currently celebrating its annual Koala Week with daily koala talks and themed activities.
One of Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation’s taglines is ‘Conservation starts in your own backyard’, and we couldn’t agree more.
Dreamworld has defended their continued koala cuddle experiences by claiming they enhance conservation, which seems rather ironic now they’re proposing to destroy koala habitat on their front doorstep.
For the koalas who are potentially affected, Dreamworld’s proposal would be a nightmare.
Dreamworld are asking their visitors to help save the koala, but in reality, we need to be saving the koala from Dreamworld.
Does Dreamworld offer koala cuddle experiences?
In 2022, we released a report, ‘Too Close For Comfort’, which spotlighted the harmful direct encounters between people and wild animals at venues, including Dreamworld.
While venues like Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland, and the states of Victoria and New South Wales, have banned koala “cuddles” entirely, Dreamworld continues to offer direct interactions to visitors.
Too close for comfort
Read our 'Too Close for Comfort' report and learn how a selfie with a wild animal can mean a lifetime of suffering for the animal.
Do koalas like being held?
Cuddling, holding or having a koala photo with a captive koala causes them silent stress. They display ‘visitor-vigilant’ behaviours like avoiding visitors by trying to climb up and away from people. Or keeping their eyes wide and ears pricked.
In the wild, koalas sleep for 20 hours a day to conserve energy after eating difficult-to-digest eucalyptus leaves. But some close encounters force them to be awake and active – sometimes for hours.
Most visitors to wildlife entertainment venues love wild animals or want to learn more about them. But they may not know about the stress and suffering wild animals like koalas endure when they are being cuddled or held for a photo. For a kinder wildlife encounter, opt for seeing koalas at a distance in the wild - where they belong.
With you by our side, together, we're strongly urging Dreamworld to walk the talk on conservation and to protect the very animals they claim to champion.
Too close for comfort
The wildlife entertainment industry in Australia is animal cruelty masquerading as innocent family fun and conservation.
Stop cruel koala cuddles
Call on the Queensland Premier to join other states in banning cruel koala encounters, including koala cuddles, selfies.