Blue whale Hope chases out dinosaur Dippy as London Natural History Museum’s star skeleton

The towering replica skeleton of the dinosaur had been in the museum for more than 100 years.

Making waves:The 25.2-metre-long blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling at the Natural History Museum.AFP

‘Hope’ the blue whale took over from ‘Dippy’ the dinosaur as the centrepiece of the revamped atrium of London’s Natural History Museum on July 13, 2017 despite a spirited campaign to keep the much-loved attraction.

The towering replica skeleton had been in the museum for more than 100 years and news of its impending demise in 2015 sparked an outcry from dinosaur fans who sent the hashtag #savedippy trending on Twitter.

People walk around “Dippy”, the Diplodocus at the Natural History Museum in London on January 4, 2017.

 

Some 14,000 people signed a petition to stop the move.

But the museum said the skeleton of the blue whale, the largest animal to have lived on Earth and which has been hunted to near extinction, would better raise awareness of mankind's impact on nature.

‘Powerful reminder’

The 25.2-metre real skeleton suspended from the ceiling “is a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the responsibility we have towards our planet,” museum director Michael Dixon said.

Fans of Dippy need not despair as the replica will in any case be preserved for posterity in a bronze cast to be placed outside the museum.