With less than 400 left in the wild, Sumatran tigers are listed as one of the world's most critically endangered species by the Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), which is supported by 190 countries world wide.

Dreamworld's Tiger Island was nominated as the new home for Soraya, by the international Species Coordinator for Sumatran and Amur Tigers, Sarah Christie, a leading member of the European Endangered Species Program and Curator for London Zoo.

Ms Christie, who visited Dreamworld in 2001, said she based her decision on the park's existing tiger facilities, expertise, significant conservation efforts and the need to increase the genetic diversity of Sumatran Tigers in the Australasian region.

The import of Soraya will boost the number of Sumatran tigers in the Australasian region to 19 (nine male, ten female) across 12 zoos, namely: Dreamworld, Taronga (Sydney), ACT, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Western Plains Zoo (Dubbo), Mareebra Park (Cairns) and Mogo zoo (NSW) plus Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton zoos in New Zealand. There are currently 235 Sumatran tigers in zoos world-wide.

Dreamworld's Tiger Island is also home to seven Bengal tigers and plays a leading role in tiger conservation world-wide through donations and hands-on involvement with conservation field projects actively saving tigers in the wild. In fact, Dreamworld, this week, donated another $33,000 to conservation charity Flora and Fauna International to help save a small pocket of Sumatran tigers in Sumatra.

Dreamworld's Chief Executive Officer Tony Braxton-Smith said the park was honoured and excited to receive its first Sumatran Tiger especially, one of such high genetic importance to the Australasian region.

He said Soraya would not meet or mix with Dreamworld's other Bengal tigers who have been hand raised since birth.

"Soraya has had limited human contact and can not be handled so she will be held in a state-of-the-art off-exhibit area at Tiger Island which has been built to Australian standards and approved by Australian Quarantine and Inspection Services (AQIS) and Environment Australia," Mr Braxton-Smith said.

Dreamworld's Tiger Island is one of only two interactive tiger facilities in the world where handlers and tigers play, wrestle and swim together all day.

A registered zoo, Dreamworld is located on Queensland's Gold Coast, 25 minutes north of Surfers Paradise and 40 minutes from Brisbane. The park is open from 10am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day and Anzac Day morning (25/4).