A plan to send Tyrannosaurus to Tyra, the popular tourist attraction that rises on the horizon in Drumheller, Alta., In proverbial extinction he has caused demands to be saved.
The city of 8,400 northeast of Calgary is announced as the world capital of dinosaurs. Home of the famous Royal Tyrrell Museum, the community also has dinosaurs statues that seem to have left The Flintstones Cartoon greeting people in the streets.
There is an extinct reptile that rides a motorcycle. A triceratops with a fly dress is found in a bus bank. Another dinosaur with a firefighter’s hat and holding a hose is prepared outside a fire station.
The biggest is Tyra, standing in front of the intersection of Gorgosaurus Street and Tyrannosaurus Drive near a visiting information center. A close ice cream support offers fossils, t -shirts and dinosaurs toys.
The 25 -meter high figure, four times the size of a real T. rex, attracts 150,000 visitors a year, serving as a backdrop to hundreds of thousands of tourist photos during the last quarter of a century.
Tourists can climb 106 stairs through their entrails to stop inside their mouths and look down.
But she will become history at the end of 2029.
Built in 2000, the giant dinosaur fits the city industry, with its vast findings and fossil museum, which houses more than 130,000 fossils.
While the city has the land where it is located, the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce possess the attraction. And the camera said the dinosaur will be disassembled when the lease contract ends.
“We developed a new strategic plan last year, and part of this was to look at the dinosaur and the future of the dinosaur. Therefore, the Board knew that there was a limited useful life of the dinosaur, and these decisions had to be made,” said the executive director of the Chamber, Heather Bitz.
She said the Chamber has received a public reaction. The reaction was expected, since there is an emotional attachment to Tyra, he said. But it is not a movement that the camera intends to go back.
“I don’t believe it at this time. We are firm in our decision,” he said.
Mayor Heather Colberg says that the news was a surprise, and the city has demanded meetings with the camera and trips to Drumheller.
“We are the world capital of dinosaurs and the largest dinosaur in the world has been very iconic in our community. We are going to look for some solutions,” he said.
“Where there is a will, there is a way, and the community is very passionate about its dinosaur. It can be seen in all discussions: the community loves dinosaurs, and many people who come to visit.”
He said that because the camera has the dinosaur, there should be an agreement.
Bitz said there have been extensive repairs to the dinosaur over the years, including the steel structure in 2023. But he does not believe that Tyra can be transferred safely.
“I don’t think the answer is torn, that’s and if we can’t have it, nobody can answer,” said local businessman Aj Frey. “For me, it’s as if … you said: ‘We had fun with the Eiffel Tower, but we are knocking him out.’
“This may not be designated as a world heritage site or a monument … but it is special for the world, and I want to make sure it remains where it is.”
Frey began a request to save Tyra, and has more than 20,000 signatures.
He said he would like to see her delivered to a non -profit organization and kept where he is.
“Royal citizens can decide what they want to happen here and what they want to do with the money group if you run correctly.”
Julia Fielding, executive director of Travel Drumheller, says that Tyra is an important part of the tourism section and expects a solution to save it.
“Sometimes you need a small kick so we can really decide what we want to do as a community,” Fielding said.
“We have five years to determine what happens. We are that world capital of dinosaurs and we want to keep that. It is the way and, if so, how do we save it?”
