A giant animated dragonfly was still waiting for its wings to be attached earlier Monday at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo… but soon they’ll be flapping as part of a new animated display. “Big Bugs” will feature seven colorful, larger-than-life insects ranging from a ladybug, a red-tailed bumblebee to a three-clawed spider, web included.
Friends of the Zoo President and CEO Janet Agostini says they’re already hearing a “buzz” of interest.
“We do these kinds of things at the zoo because it tees up the conversations all about science, entomology, those kinds of things… and it did that with our (animatronic) dinosaurs. So we thought we would do the bugs this year. We’re staging them now, we’re doing some of the dressing; make sure they look just the way that we want them to go and then they will be functional all throughout the summer. They’ll be with us until Labor Day.”
Members will get to see the bugs in action first at a preview event on June 12th before opening to the public. Upgrades to a portion of the zoo’s trail are underway. Agostini says it’ll be unveiled this summer and will dedicate nearly 7 acres for the elephants.
“They’ll be using different fields…going through a tunnel in order to get to one field. They’ll be times when our guests will be literally surrounded by elephants and white-lipped deer.”
The upgraded trail will also have numerous seating areas. The animatronic bugs were shipped on a tractor-trailer from Billings Productions in Allen, Texas. Click here for a calendar of upcoming events at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.
