Cute cubs highlight fight for survival

Five weeks old today, the adorable pair mainly of Bengal tiger origin, has made the move into their specially-designed nursery den at Dreamworld. Guests can catch a glimpse of the brothers before they join their mother Adira on the park's Tiger Island.

"They're very popular with visitors," says Dreamworld Tiger Island manager Patrick Martin-Vegue.

"They still sleep a lot of the day, but they're becoming more curious about the world around them."

At the same time, that world is becoming more curious about them. Tiger Island is a top draw at Dreamworld, and the park has become a global player in the conservation of the big cats.

"Tiger Island is one of the leading funders of tiger conservation in the world," he says.

"And the value of tigers in captivity is that they raise funds and awareness."

The director of Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation, Al Mucci, says although the tigers are in captivity, they're not prisoners.

"They're not in a cage," he says. "They're in an ark, and I think that's true of the zoo industry across the world. We protect animals."

The Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation focuses on four endangered species: the Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo, the bilby, the koala and the tiger. Each represents a different habitat and a different threat.

"The koala is local, but it's fallen victim to habitat loss," Mucci says. "The tree roo is from the rainforest and suffers from an eye disease. The bilby is from the desert but it's hunted by feral cats."

The tiger is Dreamworld's international beneficiary. Due to poaching and deforestation, tigers have become critically endangered. It's estimated there are fewer than 4,000 wild tigers in the world today.

"But there are more than 1,500 tigers in zoological institutions," Mucci says.

"Each one is an ambassador for wild tigers, and each one will live twice as long in captivity as they would in the wild."

The wild isn't what it used to be. Feral cats have driven the bilby to extinction in NSW, South Australia and Victoria, but thanks to the efforts of the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation, there's a thriving population in Queensland today.

"We've got a new population living behind a predator-proof fence," Mucci says. "It started with six, but they're breeding. Now we have 10. But there used to be millions of bilbies, so we've got a long way to go."

Martin-Vegue believes that success can't be measured by the number of tiger cubs born at the park.

"We do things differently. If those cubs raise enough money to fund our efforts to protect tigers overseas, that's a success."

Dreamworld's new cubs have stepped into that role, as money raised through photos and interactive experiences will go towards the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation. Since it launched in 2012, the foundation has contributed more than $2 million toward tiger conservation programs worldwide.

"There are 50 tigers in the wild I know are protected through our funding," Mucci says.

"We've got people patrolling their habitat and keeping poachers away. Our lobbying has kept poachers in prison."

Mucci believes that zoos are crucial for the survival of endangered animals.

"They need zoos. If we don't do what we do, who will?"

For now, the cubs are yet to be named but all shall be revealed on Friday, June 7 following a naming competition that is now closed, run through Nine's Today Show.

This feature has been produced in collaboration with the City of the Gold Coast

Australian Associated Press