Zoo welcomes newest arrivals
Thirteen enormous animatronic predators have arrived at Chester Zoo ahead of a new exhibition.
Shipped across the Atlantic from America, the giant robotic hunters were delivered to the zoo on trucks.
Featuring the infamous dire wolf – one of the most feared land predators of all time – a giant 12-foot-tall bear and a sabretooth cat, the long-lost mega beasts will be on display for the first time when the zoo’s Predators exhibition makes it world premiere on Saturday, May 26. Spanning 200 million years of history, the new show will contain eight specially created super-hunters, as well as five life-sized dinosaurs including a Quetzalcoatlus, an Allosaurus and, of course, a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The largest of the life-like robotic models to arrive at the zoo is the megalodon, a giant species of shark, which has been extinct for more than two million years and has a mouth the size of car. Dom Strange, director of operations at Chester Zoo , said: “Seeing a 13 metre long snake staring back at you as you open a truck is not something any of our team will ever forget. Co-ordinating delivery of 13 life-sized super beasts was no mean feat for the team here, but now the animals have successfully crossed the Atlantic we can’t wait to unveil them to visitors.”
Conservationists at the zoo hope that by showcasing these spectacular species in the exhibition they will highlight a more serious message: that extinction is forever.
Chester Zoo is a conservation charity fighting to prevent extinction for threatened species worldwide. Every visit to Predators will support the zoo in its mission.
The Predators exhibition will be on from May 26 to September 8. Visit the zoo’s website for tickets.
