From May 19-22, the Tradex in Abbotsford played host to Jurassic Quest (JQ), a meteoric exhibit that offers equal parts fun and education. Using similar animatronic technology to that used in the movie Jurassic Park, JQ mixes modern scientific understanding with technology to create life-sized animatronics, giving visitors a sense of what these prehistoric carnivores and herbivores would look like if they were walking among us. Children and adults alike were wide-eyed with big grins at the sight of creatures they could previously only experience on the silver screen.. The exhibit drew a huge crowd, with nearly sold-out days all through the May long weekend.
The Cascade was taken through the exhibit by Carolyn Barker, senior site manager, and “Utah raptor trainer.” Barker explained that to handle the exhibit’s busy schedule (the production relocates to a different city almost every weekend while touring), JQ workers take apart and set up the animatronics in a matter of days. The Tradex served as a perfect location, featuring a wide open space to house the animals and a small playground on the opposite side of the compound. “The Tradex staff has been really great; really supportive,” said Barker. “It was really easy being here. We had a harder time in Vancouver, [Abbotsford] was a lot more relaxed.”
Each dinosaur pen was accompanied by a real fossil, a QR code, and a video tour that provided more information. Through the code, readers could learn when the first bone of the dino in question was discovered, and who found it. Also provided are the latest revelations that have either reinforced what paleontologists already theorized, or completely changed the narrative. At the back of the exhibit was a table covered in fossils, bones, and a small chunk of recently discovered dinosaur poop.
“It’s a lot of work to keep up with all the new discoveries because we are finding new fossils all the time that change existing theories,” said Barker. “We’ve consulted with paleontologists in the creation of these dinosaurs to make them as accurate as possible. When we find a discovery that contradicts one of the dinosaurs we have, we pull them from the floor and try to adjust.”
Barker says that keeping up with the latest science is key for JQ to be able to serve one of its main purposes, education. “I think we have the fun aspect pretty well nailed down. I’m wanting to grow the educational aspect of it.” Barker hopes to set up some “fossil talks” where staff can “nerd out” at the exhibit.
The exhibition had many classic dinos, laid out in a timeline from the early Triassic period to the Cretaceous. The king of the exhibit was the T-Rex, which drew the most attention with its intermittent roar as it loitered over a freshly-killed triceratops.
Despite my love for the prehistoric Tyrant King, one dinosaur exhibit stood out as one of the more creative dinosaur enclosures — the Spinosaurus — which stood partially submerged in fake water to show the lack of consensus in the paleontology community about how this dinosaur lived.
“The Spinosaurus is one that is particularly disputed,” Barker explained. “Whether it lived in water or not; whether it walked on four feet or two feet; and then the mystery question of why it has this giant sail on its back. Nobody knows for sure, but [Spinosaurus] is also very similar to a crocodile in a lot of ways. So they thought for sure it swam and probably ate fish. They did find fish bones in one specimen, so they’re pretty confident it ate fish, but now they’re not so sure that it swam.”
For Barker, the best part of JQ is interacting with the young dino enthusiasts. “For me, it’s talking to the super fans who know maybe more than I do but can’t pronounce all the names and are constantly learning. I’m always impressed by how much they know from video games, movies, and toys. I like those kids that are motivated to learn and explore, but pretty much every kid that comes through is able to follow their curiosity and it’s a safe place to explore and learn about science at their own pace and their own level.”
Teryn Midzain is an English Major with ambitious goals to write movies and a full-time nerd, whose personality and eccentrics run on high-octane like the cars he loves. More importantly, Teryn loves sports [Formula One], and doesn’t care who knows. When not creating and running deadly schemes in his D&D sessions, Teryn tries to reach the core of what makes the romantic and dramatic World of Sports, the characters and people that make the events so spectacular.