MEDIA RELEASE - September 2011
DREAMWORLD HANDLER ON TRIP OF A LIFETIME TO PROTECT SIBERIAN TIGERS
After more than 18 months in the planning Dreamworld Senior Tiger Handler, Adam Pollard, is making final preparationsfor the trip of a lifetime, to work with anti-poaching patrols in Far East Russia.
A passionate conservation worker, Adam’s trip to Vladivostock in Eastern Russia this September will take him to a region where the world’s largest tiger species’, the Amur (Siberian) tiger, exists in its natural habitat.
"Since I was young I have loved wildlife, and this passion has led me into an amazing role to work with tigers at Dreamworld,” said Adam.
“This trip to Russia has been a dream of mine for many years so I’m very excited to have the chance to head over there and work alongside the teams who protect this critically endangered tiger, of which there are only about 400 remaining in the wild,” said Adam.
Adam will spend a total of two weeks in the Vladivostock region working with the Phoenix Fund, a Russian non-governmental organisation founded in 1997 to conserve the rivers, endangered wildlife and wild habitat of Russia’s Far East which largely includes the protection of Amur tigers.
In his role at Dreamworld, Adam has worked alongside the park’s Bengal and Sumatran tigers for more than eight years, and in turn, promoted the park’s conservation fund which has committed more than $320,000 to assist two of the patrol teams working for the Phoenix Fund in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve.
“Russia is such an extreme place and the Phoenix Fund teams work really hard to conserve the natural areas. It will be awesome to see the Amur tiger’s natural habitat in person and to learn how to track tigers in the wild. It really is the adventure of a lifetime,” Adam continued.
“By having this opportunity, I can bring back new learning’s and a better understanding of tiger behaviour and tiger conservation.”
In his first week, Adam will pitch in to help during preparations for the region’s Annual Tiger Day, a public holiday for Vladivostock where the Phoenix Fund focuses its attention on furthering education and awareness of conservation and the importance of preserving the Amur tiger.
During the second week, Adam will meet with American tiger biologist, Dr. Linda Kerley, and will take a six hour journey into the south of the Lazovsky Reserve (tiger country) to monitor and report on the presence of tigers in the region through scrap and scent markings. Linda has been travelling to and from Russia for many years and researches tigers in the region through tracking and camera trapping.
Adam will learn how the team guards against any illegal poaching or trespassing taking place in the area while discovering more about wild tiger’s habits.
In the past eight years the two anti-poaching patrol teams in this region have revealed over 780 violations of the reserves environmental laws, confiscated 108 guns, initiated 40 criminal proceedings and extinguished over 70 forest fires in the territories 3,000 ha expanse. These incredible results have awarded the Lazovsky nature reserve as the best nature conservation organisation in the Russian Far East.
Dreamworld is passionate and committed to saving tigers in the wild and has donated $1.2 million dollars to the cause. Funds are raised through guest’s generous donations as well as through tiger activities.
ENDS
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