Dinosaurs roam their way into Lansdowne Place for March Break
A huge Tyrannosaurus rex stands with its babies on the main floor Lansdowne Place mall ahead of the opening of a dinosaur exhibit being put on by the Indian River Reptile Zoo in cooperation with mall officials.
“We’re always looking for something different at the mall,” said Emily Dart, the mall’s marketing director. “It’s not something you see everyday. When we had the chance to partner with Indian River Reptile Zoo we jumped at it.”
The exhibit will not be free but all of the money generated by the exhibit ($5 minimum donation per person) will go back to the Indian River Reptile Zoo to help the animals that call it home, Dart explains.
“I think people will be thrilled to see it and experience it” Dart said.
Bill Saniger, a maintenance worker with the Indian River Reptile Zoo who is helping set up the exhibit, explains the dinos had quite a long trek before they made it to Lansdowne Place. They came from China, were flown to B.C., put on a train to Toronto and finally shipped to Peterborough in trucks.
Some of these dinos are actually animatronic, Saiger said. Some blink, move and make noises, adding to the realism and experience of seeing these creatures. This will not be their permanent home, Sagier said. They will be heading back to the zoo where they will be on display as part of a new 18-hole miniature golf course.
The exhibit is expected to open Monday, just in time for March Break.