Juan the Dinosaur to Leave San Juan Capistrano

Juan the Zoomars Petting Zoo dinosaur statue is on his way east.

The City Council officially showed him to the figurative door at a meeting earlier this month, and Zoomars owner Carolyn Franks has decided not to fight the decision in court or at the ballot box.

Instead, Juan – or Juanita, it’s never been officially determined – will end up at the Grand Canyon Caverns in Arizona. 

"It's a bittersweet situation," Franks said in a press release. “It's sad to see the dinosaur leave Los Rios, but I'm happy to have found him a new home on the famous Route 66…Now that's historic!"

According to the Arizona attraction's website, the Grand Canyon Caverns is a natural limestone cavern 210 feet underground and the largest dry cavern in the U.S.

During 1957 through 1962, the area was known as the Dinosaur Caverns, according to Wikipedia. Juan will join other contemporary but artificial "dinosaur" artifacts from this era.

Franks noted that fans of Juan have a six-hour drive east to say hello and reminisce. 

Juan attracted all sorts of attention from media far and wide when local residents seemed split on whether a dinosaur was appropriate or too historical for the Los Rios Historic District, the state's longest continually occupied residential neighborhood.

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