Dinosaurs descend on Calgary ahead of new exhibit

Calgarians who caught sight of some high-flying dinosaurs Sunday morning could be forgiven for wondering if Jurassic Park had come to life.

Sadly, the prehistoric beasts were simply animatronic versions of their long-extinct selves, descending by crane into the Calgary Zoo as part of a new exhibit.

A large crane had to be brought for just over three hours on Sunday to help hoist the dinosaurs from the lights at the top of the St. George's Drive overpass on Memorial Drive and again down the ramp to Memorial Drive East.

The dinosaurs are part of a returning exhibit opening at the zoo in March 2015.

The fleshy models have been specially designed to move in a realistic way and were featured in a 2010 exhibit at the zoo called Dinosaurs Alive.

Soon, guests at the zoo will once again be able to learn about the dinosaurs and the role they played in the Alberta Badlands.