Drumheller Town Council was shocked at the announcement that the World's Largest Dinosaur (WLD) will be decommissioned.
The Town of Drumheller held a special council meeting on Thursday, Mar. 27, about the removal of the iconic tourist attraction.
Earlier this week the Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce announced that the WLD would be removed from town after the lease on the dino ends in 2029.
At the meeting, council forwarded a motion to discuss the decommissioning of the WLD with Travel Drumheller and the chamber.
"This was all a bit of a shock to everyone today," said councillor Crystal Sereda at the meeting. "So, trying to go through it all and come up with questions, I think our administration and the team at all those three organizations will be able to have a discussion about it through a special meeting."
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Other council members voiced their shock at the removal, including Mayor Heather Colberg.
"I know there's people out there that are upset with the town, saying that it's our fault, but the reality is we all just found out about this," said Colberg. "I ask the patience of the community to allow us time to absorb this, do our homework, and find out what the one-, three-, and five-year plans are."
Colberg also mentioned that residents have asked about bringing in a new WLD or attraction to the area for around a decade. However, the town has no current plans for a replacement.
The WLD, also known as Tyra, will be taken down in December 2029.