Al Ain: Replicas of prehistoric beasts that roamed the Earth millions of years ago can now be seen at Al Ain Zoo.
The 24 life-size dinosaurs, including the Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) and Triceraptors, turn their heads and greet visitors with scary guttural roars in a specially landscaped area called Dinosaur Trail.
The exhibit was opened by Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (DATA) on Thursday night. He was accompanied by Majid Al Mansouri, Managing Director of Al Ain Zoo and Secretary General of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, and Dr Mattar Al Nuaimi, Director-General of Al Ain Municipality.
In pictures: Dinosaurs take over Al Ain Zoo
Part of a travelling exhibit, the Dinosaur Trail features a diverse range of animated dinosaurs that also include the Acrocanthosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Megalosaurus. Also featured are the Stegosaurus and the Deinonychus Slasher.
The dinosaurs were built according to scale, the biggest of which is the T. rex which stands five metres tall and spans 12 metres long. The T. rex is one of the largest land predators ever recorded.
Shaikh Sultan said: "The Dinosaur Trail provides an interactive educational experience for children of all ages. Children now have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the biggest and most fearsome creatures that ever lived."
Dr Kirk W. Duthler, Head of Branding and Communication at Al Ain Zoo, said the dinosaur replicas were brought from Texas, USA under an agreement with the Billings Productions Inc.
"They have been leased," he said, adding that the contract will last until the end of July this year.
Opportunity
He said the exhibit gives an opportunity to the visitors to journey into the past and watch the prehistoric beasts in their natural settings and environment.
"We can extend the exhibition but it depends on public interest," he noted.
The exhibit has been featured in many large city zoos around the United States including the San Diego Zoo, Detroit Zoo, and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans.
This is the first time the exhibit has travelled outside North America, he said.
A 6,000 square metre area — the size of a football pitch — was transformed from a sandy patch into a Jurassic Park-like display.
The dinosaurs hide behind every turn of a 300 meter long walking trail lined with hundreds of full grown trees and characteristic period landscapes.
The trail is illuminated for evening visitors.
The exhibit teaches visitors the origin of dinosaurs, their habitats, and the period in which they lived.
It also features a fossil dig where children can act as palaeontologists searching for dinosaur fossils, and a cross-section image of a robotic dinosaur where the inner mechanism used in animatronics are displayed.
A family picnic area, snack shop, and retail store complete the exhibit.
Best of the beasts
The 24 dinosaurs on exhibit at the Al Ain Zoo exhibit include:
- Acrocanthosaurus
- Allosaurus
- Apatosaurus
- Apatosaurus baby
- Brachiosaurus
- Deinonychus Slasher
- Deltadromeus
- Dilophosaurus
- Megalosaurus
- Parasaurolophus
Dino show
- The Dinosaurs Trail show will run daily through July 2010 during the park's operating hours.
- Admission is Dh25 and Dh15 for children on top of the regular zoo admission fee.
- For further information, log on to www.awpr.ae or by calling 03-704 1543.
