“I was absolutely shocked,” says Heather Colberg, the mayor of Drumheller, Alta., about finding out that Tyra the Dinosaur, the iconic 25-foot, 65-tonne dinosaur statue in Canada’s Badlands, is to be dismantled come 2029.
The towering dinosaur (the world’s tallest) has been a staple of the community for the last 25 years, offering a quirky photo op for tourists visiting the “Dinosaur Capital of the World” and watching over the small town’s 8,450 residents year-round with her reptilian eyes and toothy grin.
More than that, Tyra—alongside the world-renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum—attracts visitors from across the world, fuelling a thriving tourism industry propped up by her ancient ancestors whose abundant fossilized remains fill the once semi-tropical coastal plain that is now known as the Badlands.
The decision to dismantle Tyra was shared on March 26 in a press release from her owners, the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce, in which they also shared that the visitor centre and gift shop would be vacated as well.
“While this announcement is a difficult one, it’s also an opportunity for the Chamber to refocus on our core mission: supporting local businesses, advocating on their behalf, and fostering economic growth in Drumheller,” said Lana Phillips, the president of the Chamber, in the release. “We invite the community and visitors to make the most of the remaining years to create lasting memories with Tyra.”
Tyra is the property of the Chamber, but the land she sits on, along with the accompanying gift shop and visitor centre, are owned by the Town of Drumheller, and while renegotiating the lease and working through a strategic planning process, which involved a review of the dinosaur and discussion on its future, it was decided Tyra would be taken down upon the end of the five-year lease term in December 2029.
The decision, says Heather Bitz, the executive director of the Chamber, was, in part, due to fiscal factors.
“The board of directors knew there would be a point in time where she would need to be dismantled and taken down due to her age and whatnot,” says Bitz. “There were several factors: certainly the maintenance on the dinosaur is quite costly, and there’s also unknowns that pop up from time-to-time. It’s a large dinosaur, and it’s a complex construction, so there is significant maintenance required.”
Still, many members of the community have pushed back on the decision, with one starting a petition to save Tyra that has garnered more than 22,000 signatures.
The petition was started by Drumheller newcomer, AJ Frey, who writes on the petition page that he and his family “were drawn [there] by dinosaurs, and not just the old ones, the biggest one! The World’s Largest Dinosaur—affectionately known as Tyra—a towering symbol of adventure, discovery, and the heart of our tourism economy.”
While AJ says he respects the Chamber’s decision to refocus their mandate, he does push for the Town and the Chamber to preserve Tyra in some way. “If we work together, maybe this asteroid doesn’t hit her,” reads his post.
For their part, Bitz says the Chamber intends to hold firm on their decision, but says they are open to having discussions with the Town and Travel Drumheller to figure out a path forward.
The news came as a surprise to mayor Heather Colberg, who is adamant that the Town will be able to keep Tyra for years to come. “I always say where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we need to work together to solve this because it affects too many people in tourism,” she says. “Tourism is a huge part of who we are, so we’re very concerned about the effect of that.”
After the news broke and the community began expressing their concerns, Colberg sprung into action. “I scrambled and got a special council meeting so that we could update Council and make decisions,” she says.
A preliminary meeting has now been scheduled for this Tuesday in which the Town, Tourism Drumheller, and the Chamber will discuss next steps.
“The intent, first, is to have an open discussion and say, ‘Okay, what is the longevity of it? What is the structural status?’” says Colberg. “They didn’t announce that there’s anything wrong with the dinosaur, they just announced they want to change direction and become more business focussed. However, I’ve had numerous calls with businesses, groups, and organizations who’ve said they would take over the running of it tomorrow.”
As for the community, droves of commenters on Frey’s petition demonstrate the overwhelming desire to keep Tyra in one piece.
“Legacies should not be destroyed but preserved and repaired,” reads one comment.
“I have fond memories of taking my now adult kids there when they were young, plus my hubby and I take summer road trips just to visit Drumheller…please don’t take it down, it’s the face of that wonderful little town,” reads another.
Bitz says she expected there to be pushback and is all for honouring Tyra’s legacy.
“We know that Tyra has been a symbol in our community for the past 25 years, and we expected that people would be surprised and possibly upset,” she says. “But we certainly want to take the opportunity over the next five years to cherish those memories of Tyra, maybe make new ones, and determine a way forward for how we might honour the legacy of Tyra in the future.”
For mayor Colberg, it is vital that a solution be worked out. “[Tyra] is a staple and an iconic landmark to our community and to the world,” she says. “So yes, we are very passionate about our dinosaurs. People are passionate about our dinosaurs. We are the Dinosaur Capital of the World, with the World’s Largest Dinosaur, so we’ve got to figure this out.”
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