John Ball Zoo welcoming new prehistoric guests

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — John Ball Zoo is set to welcome some brand new creatures that guests can find “wandering” around beginning next week.

Starting July 15, guests will be treated to Dino Adventures, an interactive exhibit of 20 life-sized robotic dinosaurs on display. These dinosaurs will move and behave like they did when they roamed the earth millions of years ago, the zoo says.

“We really just wanted to have something fun and new and exciting for people while they’re here at the zoo,” Darci Mitchell, promotions and events manager at the zoo, said. “It’s just a really fun way to tie in conservation and talk about the things we’re doing out in the wild, too. Learning about dinosaurs and then learning about how we can protect the species we still have around is really important for us.”

Guests will also have the chance to participate in a fossil dig and take their photos next to the dinosaurs, including a Tyrannosaurus rex. It’s the perfect way to spend some time with the whole family.

A few dinosaurs can be seen right at the front gates of the zoo while most of them, including the life-size T. rex, will be located in the Forest Realm of the zoo.

“It’s a generational thing. You can bond with kids and grandparents. It’s a very family-oriented event. It’s fun to see, kind of looking at how much kids know about dinosaurs and how much you’ve also forgotten about dinosaurs,” Melinda Robinette, the zoo’s interpretive planner and evaluation specialist, said.

The founder of Dino Adventures, “Dino Don” Lessem, will also make his way to John Ball Zoo on July 28. He will speak about the display and about his career researching dinosaurs. Lessem was an adviser on the first “Jurassic Park” film.

Dino Adventures will be at John Ball Zoo through Nov. 10 and you will be able to check it out with a regular standard ticket to the zoo.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.