If you saw a dinosaur flying through the sky north of Edmonton on Tuesday night, don’t worry, you were not seeing things.
Seven new animatronic dinosaurs were flown into Jurassic Forest in Gibbons, Alta., bringing the park’s total to more than 70 life-sized dinos.
“We are now North America’s largest animatronic dinosaur park, so that was really exciting to us,” Jurassic Forest general manager Andie Hrenchuk said.
The park north of Edmonton allows visitors a chance to come face to face with the animals, as they explore the forests of the 40-acre prehistoric preserve.
The dinosaurs come to life as guests pass by.
Adding the seven new dinosaurs has been two years in the making, and getting them into the park was no easy feat. Each dinosaur was carefully secured and flown in by helicopter. The dinosaurs weigh as much as 1,400 kilograms (3,086 pounds) each.
“Our park staff have to rig them up, make sure they’re nice and secure, attach them to the helicopter, pick them up, hope they hold and then bring them in and then land them safely, making sure that our staff are safe, first of all, and the dinosaurs as well,” Hrenchuk said.
“We did it. Everybody’s accounted for. It feels great. It’s definitely a really exciting day.”
Hrenchuk was tight-lipped on the types of dinosaurs that were added to the park, only saying there were some famous meat-eating dinos and other “weird ones” that perhaps not everyone has heard of.
Another new attraction being added to the park is the Journey to Extinction mini golf course, which Hrenchuk said will open in the next week or two.
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