Giant creatures from the dawn of time will be towering over visitors to Whipsnade Zoo this summer, as it becomes home to a host of moving and roaring dinosaurs.
Prepare to be transported to Zoorassic Park, a prehistoric world where you will come face-to-face with the likes of a 11m tall brachiosaurus and a 12m long tyrannosaurus rex.
For no extra charge, visitors will step back in time into the sights and sounds of the Mesozoic Era, to encounter lesser-known creatures like the carnivorous Utahraptor and winged archaeopteryx, as well as spot fan favourites like the triceratops and stegosaurus.
Children can find out for themselves if they have what it takes to be a palaeontologist by grabbing a brush and taking part in a dino dig, getting to work unearthing three buried species.
Once they’ve tested their abilities with fossils, families can follow two different trails around the mega-beasts. Dino Detectives gives four to seven year-olds a chance to hunt for missing equipment and try to get them back to the researcher on time.
Meanwhile, Research Rangers aged eight to 12 years can investigate and identify equipment back at the research station and use it to solve challenges. The whole family can scan QR codes around the creatures to take on more fun challenges at home.
Pop-up talks give visitors a chance to learn all about the fascinating creatures that lived 65 million years ago, as well as the important work ZSL’s conservationists are doing to help prevent today’s animals from becoming extinct.
Serious dino-enthusiasts can take their day out to another level by sleeping-over near the mega-beasts, experiencing the sights and sounds of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo at night.
The Snorassic Park experience, available on selected weekends, will give guests a special, evening tour of the dinosaurs after the zoo has closed to visitors, before spending the night camping under the stars opposite the dinosaur exhibit.
Best known for its own colossal beasts grazing enormous enclosures, like the zoo’s two herds of prehistoric looking rhinoceroses, Whipsnade is home to more than 10,000 amazing animals, including Amur tigers, spritely squirrel monkeys and adorable otters.
Find out more at www.zsl.org
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