- Title: Bolivia seeks UNESCO status for Sucre's massive wall of dinosaur prints
- Date: 10th July 2017
- Summary: SUCRE, BOLIVIA (RECENT - JULY 6, 2017) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF MASSIVE WALL FEATURING THOUSANDS OF FOOT PRINTS, GROUP OF TOURISTS ON FOOT OF WALL VISITORS AT BASE OF WALL TRACK OF DINOSAUR PRINTS ON WALL CRESTASICO PARK DIRECTOR, ELIZABETH BALDIVIESO, POSING BY PRINTS CRESTASICO PARK DIRECTOR, ELIZABETH BALDIVIESO, CIRCLING OUTLINE OF PRINT WITH FINGER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CRESTASICO PARK DIRECTOR, ELIZABETH BALDIVIESO, SAYING: "There have been various ethnological studies of dinosaur prints from palaeontologists like Dr. Christian Meyer and other national and international palaeontologists who have come to do studies here, and who continue to do so. That is how we have the scientific documentation of the footprints and realised that we have a wealth of invertebrate." PAN OF TRACK OF DINOSAUR PRINTS TOUR GROUP AT SITE VISITORS TAKING SELFIE GENERAL VIEW OF TRACK OF DINOSAUR PRINTS RUNNING UP WALL VISITORS ARRIVING AT SITE PAN OF SIZE OF LIMESTONE WALL FEATURING PRINTS MORE OF PRINTS OF WALL TOURISTS GATHERED AT BASE OF WALL MORE OF PRINTS ON WALL ENTRANCE TO PARK ENTRANCE TO PARK WITH MODEL OF DINOSAUR'S HEAD STICKING OVER VISITOR CENTRE LIFE-SIZED MODEL OF THE SAUROPODO DINOSAUR HEAD OF SAUROPODO MODEL OF CARNOTAURUS ATTACKING ANOTHER DINOSAUR CLOSE UP OF CARNOTAURUS MODEL ATTACKING ANOTHER DINOSAUR VISITORS AT PARK DINOSAUR MODEL THAT EMITS SOUNDS VISITORS WITH GUIDE AT PARK VISITORS AT PARK PAWS ON MODEL DINOSAUR GENERAL VIEW OF WALL WITH THOUSANDS OF PRINTS TRUCK DRIVING NEAR BASE OF WALL TRUCK LOADED WITH SAND AT BASE OF WALL GENERAL VIEW OF EARTHMOVER WORKING AT SITE EARTHMOVER TRANSPORTING ROCKS EARTHMOVER PUTTING ROCKS AT BACK OF TRUCK (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNESCO OFFICIAL, ROXANA ACOSTA, SAYING: "It is an important period in the history of the Earth which is unrepeatable and irreplaceable. Cal Orko is representative of many (dinosaur) records in many aspects, not only in the surface area of the dinosaur prints that are greater than 64,000 square metres, but also in the variety of species. There are nine species that have already been registered and classified." ACOSTA LOOKING AT SITE FROM VIEWPOINT (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNESCO OFFICIAL, ROXANA ACOSTA, SAYING: "It represents an important period before the extinction of dinosaurs, before the fall of the meteorite. It shows the variety of dinosaurs was quite large and there are some theories that report that dinosaurs disappeared gradually. But the great variety (of dinosaurs) has basically been found, which points to the theory of the mass destruction as a result of a falling meteorite." MORE OF MODEL OF DINOSAUR AT PARK HEAD OF MODEL OF DINOSAUR FEET OF DINOSAUR MODEL (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MAYOR OF SUCRE, JORGE ARCIENAGA, SAYING: "This is a great contribution to science. People from the USA, Belgium, Switzerland and Argentina have participated in this scientific discovery on the differences in the foundations of the paleontological centuries (in the park). In Sucre's case, we have found ourselves preparing for UNESCO nomination for a natural World Heritage Site." GENERAL VIEW OF CHURCH AND LOCAL SQUARE NEAR PARK GENERAL VIEW OF SUCRE GENERAL VIEW OF RED-TILED ROOFS OF SUCRE'S HOUSES GOVERNMENT BUILDING RELIGIOUS STATUE ON BUILDING GENERAL VIEW OF CHURCH
- Embargoed: 24th July 2017 23:04
- Keywords: dinosaur prints Bolivia Sucre wall
- Location: SUCRE, BOLIVIA
- City: SUCRE, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News
- Reuters ID: LVA0016P4YCLF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Authorities in Bolivia are seeking UNESCO heritage status for a 100-metre wall (328-foot) wall that features thousands of prints from a variety of dinosaur species, including the largest dinosaur footprint in the world.
In the Bolivian city of Sucre lies Cal Orko, or Crestasico Park, a massive limestone slab of wall that gives visitors a glimpse of what the Earth was like some 70 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the area.
Back then, this area of Sucre featured fertile ground and was a site where dinosaurs would gather to drink water. According to experts, dinosaurs walking on the muddy banks of the river are what caused the footprints to remain fossilised for millions of years.
Cal Orko was discovered by accident in 1964 during work to extract limestone from the area and was originally thought to contain more than 5,000 prints.
Decades on, investigators, including Christian Meyer of the Museum of Natural History Basel, now say more than 20,000 individual dinosaur prints have been counted from as many as nine different species. Meyer has called it the largest single site of dinosaur prints ever found.
The site has also become one of Bolivia's most famous destinations with more than 180,000 visitors annually eager for a photo near massive dinosaur prints.
Bolivia will apply for heritage status with UNESCO on September 30 and preparatory works at the site are stepping up to help its nomination.
World Heritage Status brings with it many benefits such as international funding for protection and conservation and gives the area a boost as a tourist hotspot. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None