REVIEW: Whipsnade Zoo is roaring back with its dinosaur attraction this summer

Zoorassic Park is an exhibition of life-size animatronic beasts
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The pandemic put its very future at risk, but Whipsnade Zoo is roaring back from the challenges of Covid and has no plans to go extinct - unlike the stars of its key summer attraction.

The crowds were flocking in to support the park in great numbers when I visited this week to check out Zoorassic Park, an exhibition of life-size animatronic dinosaurs that's sure to delight dino fans young and old.

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Once through Whipsnade's main entrance, turn left and you can't miss the impressive display because you'll spot the 11m tall brachiosaurus poking its head out from the treetops.

ParasaurolophusParasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus

Venture through the gates of Zoorassic Park and you'll be travelling back more than 66 million years to come face-to-face with your favourite dinosaurs.

Triceratops and stegosaurus are among the well-known prehistoric creatures to put in an appearance and of course no dinosaur display would be complete with a T-Rex (gulp!)

The models are certainly impressive and younger children were gazing with amazement as the beasts moved their bodies and let out some fearsome roars.

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As part of the fun, 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.

Foolishly I turned my back on one of the dinosaurs to pose for a picture!Foolishly I turned my back on one of the dinosaurs to pose for a picture!
Foolishly I turned my back on one of the dinosaurs to pose for a picture!

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 to try to get it back to the researcher on time. Meanwhile, Research Rangers, aged eight to 12, 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 also give visitors a chance to learn more about the dinosaurs as well as the important work being done to help prevent today’s animals from becoming extinct.

The experience is included with zoo entry and will be there throughout the summer holidays, right up until September 5.

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Once you've enjoyed Zoorassic Park, your attention can then switch to exploring Whipsnade's 600 acres and discovering over 9,500 animals.

We had a lovely stroll around the grounds in the sunshine with the lions, chimps, rhinos, tigers, and giraffes among those to play ball by wandering to the front of their enclosures to give us a great view of them.

Our adventure over, it was time to head for home, with the Sims family all in the mood to put our feet up and dig out those old Jurassic Park DVDs!