Dreamworld's tiger cub meets and greets

There are celebrities that hate the paparazzi - and then there are those who maul them.

Thankfully for the swarm of media at Dreamworld on Monday, the park's six-week-old tiger cub Kai hasn't got his adult chompers yet.

"Don't scratch it!" one cameraman tried to warn the star attraction as he threw his paws onto the lens.

The high-pitched growl that came in reply seemed to suggest Kai - whose name translates to "victorious" or "strong" - isn't interested in taking direction from strangers.

That's probably why his handler Patrick Martin-Vegue had more luck, plucking up the cute cub before introducing him to Dreamworld's sanguine tiger matriarch, Sita.

Their brief interaction in the Tiger Island display was a first for Kai - but judging from Sita's nonchalant reaction, not her first time babysitting.

"She didn't eat him, that's good," Mr Martin-Vegue said of their introduction, which comes on National Threatened Species Day.

The cub was developing well, and at about six kilograms, is expected to pack on a further 154kg before he's fully grown, he said.

Mr Martin-Vegue said Kai had a cheeky and "acrobatic" nature and would continue his familiarisation with Tiger Island with daily visits.

His schedule will also involve leash training, five feeds a day and golf cart rides around the theme park, as well as the obligatory meet-and-greet duties.

But if that scratchy little growl is anything to go by, cameramen should beware.