Calgary Zoo’s Dinny the Dinosaur to get $200,000 makeover

A historic statue at the Calgary Zoo is getting a makeover.

The 12-metre, hand-pressed, concrete Brontosaurus named Dinny is set to have $200,000 in repairs to his neck and left rear leg.

Built in 1935 by sculptor John Kanerva, Dinny is the last remaining statue from the Natural History Park, which was renamed the Calgary Zoo and Natural History Park in 1937.

The Calgary Zoo told Global News the project is estimated to cost $200,000 and will be paid for by the City of Calgary and the Calgary Zoo, with costs split about 50/50.

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The repairs will be done from the inside Dinny’s body so no changes will be visible from the outside. The zoo says long-term plans may involve work on the exterior layers of the statue for aesthetic purposes, if need be.

The zoo is working with the City of Calgary and Government of Alberta on the makeover, which has been approved by the city’s Heritage Planning Department and follows the province’s Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places.

It’s expected work will be completed by late spring or early summer 2019.