Dinosaurs to once again roam the Middle East

69 extinct dinosaurs will be brought back to life in the Dubai attraction’s Lost Valley - Dinosaur Adventure zone. Courtesy IMG

Dinosaurs will once again roam the Middle East 65 million years after they disappeared from the face of the earth thanks to the latest attraction at IMG Worlds of Adventure in Dubailand.

In association with Kokoro, the pioneering Japanese animatronics company, 69 extinct dinosaurs will be brought back to life in the Dubai attraction’s Lost Valley - Dinosaur Adventure zone.

The addition will mark one of the final stages of completion for the world’s largest multi-brand indoor theme park.

Within the park, guests are transported to the Prehistoric era where they can track down the dinosaurs, watch them in their natural environment, and hear them roar or feast on prey.

Lenard Otto, the park’s general manager, said, “This is an incredibly exciting moment for us, having witnessed the creation of these extraordinary creatures and now seeing them in their new habitat. In addition to the dinosaurs providing sheer entertainment, we will be developing a range of interactive educational programmes, positioning IMG Worlds of Adventure as one of the leading dinosaur attractions in the world.”

Among the biggest of the pack of dinosaurs spread across the vast Jurassic terrain will be the enormous Barosaurus and the ferocious Allosaurus.

The project has taken up to five years to create and with the Barosaurus at over 15.5 metres high, the dinosaurs move, breathe and feel like their ancestors. Japanese robotics experts, Kokoro, used hydraulics to replicate each dinosaur’s unique movements, their scales have been hand-sculpted by specialist artists whilst a thin covering layer of silicone gives their skin a shiny, life-like appearance, similar to modern day living reptiles.

Atsuya Yamada, president of Kokoro, said: “In Japanese, Kokoro means ‘heart’ or ‘spirit’ and we really have put our passion into creating these dinosaurs. “They are based on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge of what dinosaurs would have looked like and how they would have moved in their natural environment.

“Visitors to IMG Worlds of Adventure will be dazzled by the experience of encountering them.”

The Lost Valley section of the park will also feature a dinosaur themed roller coaster, propelling thrill seekers at a hair raising 100km/hour in just two and a half seconds.

Once open, it will be the only permanently installed looping coaster in the UAE, with its biggest loop topping a whopping 105 feet high.

Other theme parks expected to open next year include Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and Legoland, with Dubai parks and resorts expected to attract 5.5 million guests in 2017.

IMG Worlds of Adventure near City of Arabia is due to open in early 2016.