Nur Syahirah the ‘dinosaur’ tailor
EVEN in the scorching heat, Nur Syahirah Harun , 29, remained diligent in sewing the ‘wound’ of the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) to cover the skin surface that was ‘operated on’ to repair the motor damage on the life-size ‘animatronic’ dinosaur replica.
She did this to ensure that the ‘animatronic’ dinosaurs exhibited at the Taman Teruntum Mini Zoo, Kuantan, Pahang can perform immediately for the audience who come to witness the prehistoric animals.
Working as a ranger at the Dinosaur Encounter at the National Science Centre, here, the former civil servant said the work was part of the maintenance process that was carried out after fixing certain damages to the various robotic replicas on display.
She said, basically, the main task of the ranger is to provide detailed information about the life and characteristics of each prehistoric animal species to the visitors.
“When there is a breakdown, the ranger will repair the motor in this replica for which we have to split the parts involved, after finishing, they need to be sewn back together.
“Seems easy right? But, actually, no, and not all rangers can do it. For now, I am training other rangers,” she said.
Nur Syahirah said the intended wound was a split or damaged part of any surface of the prehistoric animal’s skin, including the nails and teeth, and needed to be stitched using two main materials, which were curved needles like hooks and ropes through the stingray gill stitching method.
She added that, in addition to his interest and basic sewing skills, the ranger needs to have a small body so as not to put pressure on the dinosaur that could cause the replica skeleton to break when the sewing procedure is done.
“Imagine with the size of a large and tall dinosaur, the sewing work can only be done manually starting with putting glue and then joining using a stapler before sewing.
“In fact, before being stitched, I have to make sure that all technical work such as repairing the motor or broken parts of the frame have been fully repaired,” he said, which takes up to two days to complete the task depending on the condition of the ‘wound’.
She added that after sewing, the dinosaur skin made of silicone will be patterned using matching colors to cover the effect of the stitches involved.
Nur Syahirah’s action while sewing a replica of the prehistoric animal at the Dinosaur Encounter exhibition at Taman Teruntum Mini Zoo, Kuantan went viral on the TikTok application, thus successfully capturing the hearts of netizens due to the uniqueness of the maintenance process.
According to Nur Syahirah, the Dinosaur Encounter exhibition, which is based on augmented reality (AR) technology, aims to invite visitors to experience the aura of dinosaurs’ real life in prehistoric times at three locations, namely the National Science Center, Melaka Zoo in Melaka and Taman Teruntum Mini Zoo, Kuantan. .
In fact, she said, apart from the life-sized dinosaurs that were highlighted, the forest environment at the zoo made the long-extinct animals seem to ‘exist’ as in their original habitat, coupled with robotic movements from the head to the tip of the tail.
“Through science and technology, we bring to visitors as if they were in and experienced prehistoric times and when dinosaurs began to die out through several natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and the discovery of fossils.
“In fact, in each location there are certain privileges, for example if in the Taman Teruntum Mini Zoo, it is recognized as the first hybrid zoo in the world, when it combines elements of live animals, animatronics and dinosaurs,” she said.
source — BERNAMA
