Help rehabilitate life-size ‘dinosaurs’ at Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) has taken on their “Largest Rescue Mission Ever,” Dino Rescue!
By Lauren Freeman
CMA is a non-profit organization in Clearwater, Florida, known for its work to rescue, rehabilitate, and release marine life back into their natural habitat. Many people learned about CMA back in 2011, when one of their rescued dolphins, named Winter, inspired the movie Dolphin Tale. While CMA is an aquarium open to the public that continues to rescue and help marine animals, just this month Dino Rescue roared into their aquarium.
In addition to seeing dolphins, turtles, otters, and other sea animals, guests will get an up close experience with life-size “dinosaurs,” some as tall as 35 feet and 65 feet long. These prehistoric giants can move, roar, and educate.
“Each dinosaur will have a medical patient workup chart with their backstory on display,” said CMA’s COO Lisa Oliver. “We hope that by applying these real-life challenges to the dinosaurs in a fun, satirical fashion, it will bring to light the severity of these ailments which can lead to the very real extinction of an entire species.”
In 2020, CMA spent $80 million to expand their facility, which increased its guest space by five times its previous size. Therefore, placing these life size dinosaurs throughout the aquarium will help guests get the full experience and see all the new areas that they may have unknowingly passed by.
“Dino” Don Lessem, who has authored books on dinosaurs and advised for the movie “Jurassic Park,” added, “I’m excited and honored to bring the greatest animals of the past to Clearwater Marine Aquarium. We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure these are the most accurate dinosaur robots in the world, and dinosaur fans are going to love them!”
All proceeds from “Dino Rescue” will go right back into Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This will help them to better care for and rehabilitate marine animals, as well as educate the public on the importance of caring for wildlife. Dino Rescue will run through April 15, 2023, and is included in the regular cost of admission.
- To learn more about Clearwater Marine Aquarium : cmaquarium.org
- To learn more about Dino Rescue: cmaquarium.org/experiences/dino-rescue
- To purchase tickets: visit.cmaquarium.org/#/Admission
