Imagine it -- hitting the beach in Queensland, Australia for a quick surf, only to come across a freakin' tiger.

On the early hours of Monday, handlers from the Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation took Adira the tiger cub for a visit a Gold Coast beach, all in the name of global tiger conservation.

Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation director Al Mucci said the the aim of the impromptu photoshoot was to increase awareness of conservation efforts and promote engagement with the foundation among locals and visitors to the popular tourist area.

"Today, tigers are critically endangered with less that 3000 left in the world," Mucci said in a statement via email, lamenting that unless action is taken now, it is highly likely that the next generation will never know the beauty of the animals.

Adira reportedly relished her beach visit, with Mucci saying that "tigers in the wild would often encounter new environments and situations so it was a very enriching experience for Adira."

Mucci said that donations through Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation were reaping real-world action. with two tiger poachers in Indonesia recently being jailed after being discovered by anti-poaching teams supported by the foundation.