The Lair is an exotic animal exhibit at the
Dreamworld theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
,
Australia.
It opened on 9 April 2011 with two
white lion
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
s.
The exhibit is to be used for a variety of other animals in the future.
History
On 16 February 2011,
Ardent Leisure (the owners of Dreamworld) released their half year results report for the 2011 financial year. The report detailed an outlook for their 30th Birthday year. One of the items listed was an
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
holiday promotion where an exotic animal species will be showcased.
Two weeks prior, the
Gold Coast Bulletin
The ''Gold Coast Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper serving Australia's Gold Coast region.
It is published as ''The Gold Coast Bulletin'' on weekdays and the ''Weekend Bulletin'' at weekends.
It is owned by News Corp Australia.
History
The ...
detailed the rumours of white lions coming to Dreamworld.
On 21 February 2011, Dreamworld officially announced via
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
that white lions would be at Dreamworld for the April school holidays.
On 16 March 2011, plans for The Lair were released by Dreamworld.
On 9 April 2011, the attraction was officially opened to the public with two white lions.
Exhibit
The Lair is themed to the
Timbavati region in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. The interactive exhibit features triple laminated glass panels which allow guests to view the animals up close.
The exhibit also features a second storey. This level features a glass-walled platform where trainers and paying guests can feed the animals.
Inhabitants
White lions
In April 2011 Dreamworld began a promotion where
white lion
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
s were on temporary exhibition from
National Zoo & Aquarium
The National Zoo and Aquarium is a privately owned zoo and aquarium in the Australian capital city of Canberra. It is located in Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory, Yarralumla at the western end of Lake Burley Griffin, next to Scrivener D ...
which was renovating its facilities.
On 30 March 2011, two lions, Jake and Mischka, were introduced into The Lair.
The exhibit housed these two lions on public display from 9 April through to 9 May.
A second pair of lions, Archilles and Agamemnon, were featured in the exhibit from 16 May until 7 August 2011.
Tigers
On September 7, 2011, a new feeding experience with Dreamworld's existing
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and
Sumatran tigers began at the park. Tigers from
Tiger Island
El Tigre is an island located in the Gulf of Fonseca, a body of water on the Pacific coast of Central America. The island is a conical basaltic stratovolcano and the southernmost volcano in Honduras. It belongs to Valle department. Together ...
can be seen in The Lair. For a set fee, guests can tong-feed the tigers.
See also
*
Dreamworld's 30th Birthday
*
2011 in amusement parks
This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2011. These various lists are not exhaustive.
Amusement parks
Opening
* Legoland Florida - October 15, replaced the former Cypress Gardens
* Rainbow MagicLand - Ma ...
References
External links
The Lair on the official Dreamworld website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lair, The
Amusement rides introduced in 2011
Dreamworld (Australia)
2011 establishments in Australia