REVIEW

36 Life In Cheshire Where life gets interesting.

Right up until November 4th, visitors will have the chance to get up close and prehistoric with no less than nineteen life like robotic replicas of the enormous beasts

which roamed the Earth 200 million years ago. On display is every childhood favourite, from the towering Brachiosaurus to the unmistakable heavy duty Stegosaurus -and of course no collection of these Jurassic giants would be complete without saving the spotlight for Tyrannosaurus Rex, which depending on how literal you prefer your Greek translations, means roughly ‘Tyrant King of Lizards’. Chilling stuff. To find out more, and to learn that T. Rex was not from the Jurassic but rather the Cretaceous Period (so no letters, please!), I spoke to Lynsey Jones, a wonderfully helpful and knowledgeable member of the Chester Zoo PR team. Here’s what she had to say:

Hi Lynsey. The dinosaurs are back! Are you happy to see them return? We are delighted to welcome the dinosaurs back to Chester Zoo as they proved hugely popular last year and we feel it was one of the factors behind the record visitor numbers we achieved in 2011. But this time they are even bigger, louder and more impressive!

How has the attraction improved since the last time Chester Zoo played host to the touring dino’s?The dinosaurs are here with us for much longer, giving our visitors plenty of time to come and see them. We have also increased the numbers to 19 dinosaurs so the exhibit is much longer with plenty of new additions that weren’t part of the trail last time, as well as the old favourites. Is the attraction interactive?Yes the whole area is themed so that the prehistoric journey takes you across misty bridges as you absorb the sounds around you and really get immersed in what it would have been like to get close to such huge beasts. We have dinosaurs that move, roar and even spit!

Which dinosaur is proving

to be a favourite among visitors?

The spitting dinosaur (Dilophosaurus) is very popular with our younger visitors and of course the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex just has everyone standing in awe.

How are the animals at the zoo taking to their new prehistoric neighbours?Our animals are used to the sounds and movement of their prehistoric neighbours and are probably a little thankful that the carnivorous dinosaurs are extinct!

Can you tell us a little bit about the biggest scariest dinosaur on display? The Tyrannosaurus Rex is definitely our biggest and scariest dinosaur and visitors can sit on our special T-rex and take their own photos which is very popular.

How can visitors learn more? Are there presentations given throughout the day?There is more information about the exhibition on our website www.chesterzoo.org. Visitors can meet our Presenter-saurus in the shadow of the T-rex to learn more with daily talks at 11am and 2pm or can join us for Story Time at 12pm, 3pm and 4pm so there’s plenty going on.

What are the other must see attractions this summer at Chester Zoo?We have just rejuvenated our Spirit of the Jaguar exhibit which now includes an aquarium and sloths as well as

our resident jaguars. Our new giant otter underwater viewing

area which was also unveiled recently is

great for seeing the otters swim

and play up

close. Our two tiger cubs that were

born in October are growing up fast but are

still very cute. Chester Zoo is a modern,

clean, world beating attraction. Housing close to 10,000 animals,

the zoo sprawls over a vast 111 acres -that’s an astounding 74 football

pitches! With no government funding, and despite the tremendous difficulties

the zoo faced in staying open following a post war shortage in materials, Chester

Zoo has driven forwards, becoming a quintessentially British success story that can

now proudly call itself the most visited wild life attraction year on year nationwide.

For bookings and further information, visit www.chesterzoo.org,

Chester Zoo

This summer, Chester Zoo is once again playing host to an exhibition with Rex appeal.

DINOSAURS

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