Drumheller dinosaur statues need saving after slight 'mass extinction,' group says

Some people in the self-proclaimed dinosaur capital of the world are trying to save the colourful statues crumbling around their southern Alberta town.

Drumheller, roughly 130 kilometres northeast of Calgary in the badlands of Alberta, is home to fossils of prehistoric creatures and the renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

Its downtown is dotted with more than 30 dinosaur statues, fromtriceratopsandbrontosaurus, to tyrannosauruses of various sizes. There's even oneriding a motorcycle.

Three have been damaged one so badly, it can't be fixed and others are at risk of crumbling, according to their caretakers at the Drumheller DinoArts Association.

"We had a little bit of a mass extinction last week," vice-chairperson Courtney Bell told the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday.

T. Rex'retired'

One of the damaged dinos wasknown as Mail Man T. Rex, painted red with white maple leafs to honour Canada's Centennial and locatedby Canada Post.In a collision, avan swerved andhit the dinosaur up on the sidewalk, Bell said.

The group says Mail Man T. Rex is too damaged to be fixed.

"He will be retired," Bell said.

Two other casualties should be repairable, she said, like Batman Dino, who's been removed from his home infront of the Shoppers Drug Mart. His arm and tail fell off. The mini T. Rex should be fixed soon.

A third fell on its face after its legs gave out near Co-op Agro, which says it's looking into fixing the dino.

"Most of these structures were build in the '60s," Bell said. "They're made with quite heavy material, concrete and wire, and they're just kind of seeing the end of their time."

Many of the dinosaurs, affectionately known as "cementasauruses," werecreated byartistTig Seland to be housedin Prehistoric Park. The tourist attraction closed in the 1980s. After that, the dinosaurs migrated into the town and into the chamber of commerce's ownership.

All the dinosaurs haveliability insurance coverage but in the case of Mail Man T. Rex, it'snot expected to be enough to fix the existing structure. Instead, any funds will likely be directed to build a new dinosaur.

DinoArtsfundraisesto maintain the statues and attempt to afford to build new ones. The next event is in October and involves pieing local celebrities in the face. The local chamber of commerce will match donations to help the dinosaur statues, Bell said.

"They are just starting to show wear and tear, so holes will show up or horns will fall off," she said. "If we are able to fix them, then we absolutely fix them."

Hear more about the efforts to save Drumhellerdinosaurs from extinction:

Its website advertises a Dino Walk around the town, and maintaining the tradition is a priority, Bell said, as people take pride in their quirky, statuesque neighbours.

Drumheller's largest dinosaur sculpture of a T. Rex is made of lighter materials, like fibreglass and steel. Standing 46 metres, it would tower over a real T. Rex, which stood 4.6 metres high.

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With files from Danielle Nerman and theCalgary Eyeopener.