We’d heard there was something strange lurking at Bristol Zoo Gardens so headed down to check it out.
All seemed normal with the flamingos, the lions were having a nap and the 80 year old aldabra giant tortoise was hanging out and having a chew.
But then we found the first signs of the strange goings on.
A dinosaur! Albeit a small one and it was behind glass, so, phew, we were protected!
But then just around the corner we caught sight of something much bigger.
ARGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! It was a T-Rex!!
Our sources tell us that this massive creature on the loose in Bristol is actually half size compared to your average Tyrannosaurus. Big enough for us though!
We took shelter from the prehistoric beasts in the zoo’s recently refurbished cafe and restaurant, The Hide.
With table service and a jungle themed decor, it has been transformed from the previous self-service set-up and higgledy piggledy interior which often felt like you were in a nest of screaming baby dinos with all the excitable children.
The new design seems to have calmed things and the veggie sharing board of beetroot tartlet, charred broccolini and tahini dressing, grilled toast, slow roasted tomatoes and artichokes, hummus and cumin roasted aubergine wedges and toasted seeds plus a margherita pizza went down a treat.
Fed and watered we headed back out into the wild with renewed confidence.
Lurking in the undergrowth we discovered a fearsome dilophosaurus. It found fame in the film, Jurassic Park.
In the movie, he attacks with a venom spitting action. Scientists however cannot find evidence that it really could spit but we didn’t get too close just in case.
We didn’t want to have the same fate of Dennis Nedry, the computer programmer, who was devoured by a dilphosaurus and caused the whole chaos in Jurassic Park in the first place!
We made our escape and paused for breath in the calmness of the penguin enclosure. Our flightless friends never fail to delight.
Stopping off to say hello to the family of sea lions, we tracked a couple of stegoceras. They might look cute but something told us we shouldn’t mess with them!
The gift shop was in sight which meant we had survived the dinosaur invasion…
For now!
If you fancy your own dinosaur adventure, the brilliant Dinomania is open at Bristol Zoo Gardens until 3 September. Entrance is included in the general ticket price.
We were provided with complimentary tickets to Clifton Zoo Gardens but all views (and dinosaur exploration) are our own.
