Site B (Sorna)
The forgotten nursery where dinosaurs learned to survive without humans.
Site B, also known as Isla Sorna, serves as the hidden biological factory where InGen originally cloned and raised dinosaurs before they were ever transported to the public-facing Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar. While Isla Nublar was designed as a theme park showcase, this remote island in the Costa Rican archipelago functioned as a secure breeding ground, complete with automated containment systems and vast, naturalistic habitats intended for pre-deployment acclimatization.
Following the catastrophic failure of operations on Isla Nublar in 1993, Site B was effectively abandoned by its corporate creators. Over the subsequent years, the island evolved into a self-sustaining ecosystem where the cloned creatures roamed free, hunted, and bred without human interference, becoming one of the most dangerous and pristine prehistoric environments on Earth until human expeditions returned to document or exploit them.
- Location
- Isla Sorna (The Sorrows Islands), Costa Rica
- Primary Function
- Dinosaur Breeding and Rearing Facility
- Parent Organization
- InGen (International Genetics Incorporated)
- Key Personnel
- Dr. Henry Wu, Peter Ludlow, Robert Muldoon
- Status
- Abandoned by InGen; Ecosystem intact
Lore & Background
Constructed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Site B was the true heart of John Hammond's vision, operating under strict secrecy while the public focus remained on the construction of Jurassic Park. The island featured a massive central processing plant where embryos were incubated and young dinosaurs were raised until they reached maturity. Unlike the electric fences and rigid enclosures of Isla Nublar, Site B utilized a more naturalistic approach with large, open-air pens separated by rivers and valleys, allowing for complex social behaviors to develop before transport.
When the 1993 incident on Isla Nublar forced InGen to evacuate, the decision was made to leave Site B operational but unmanned. The automated systems continued to function for a time, dispensing food and maintaining basic containment, but eventually failed as power grids faltered and maintenance crews were never sent back. This abandonment marked a turning point in natural history; without human intervention, the dinosaurs formed their own hierarchies, adapted to the island's climate, and filled ecological niches that had been vacant for sixty-five million years.
In Their Own Story
The humid air of Isla Sorna didn't just hang heavy; it pressed down, thick with the scent of wet rot and ancient ferns. Dr. Alan Grant lowered his binoculars, not to scan a map, but to watch a herd of Triceratops ghost through the mist-shrouded valley below—no fences, no electric hum, only the raw silence of an ecosystem that had forgotten humanity existed. Then came the vibration: a low, rhythmic thrumming in the soles of his boots, distinct from any machinery. It was the heartbeat of a Tyrannosaurus rex patrolling its domain. This wasn't a theme park attraction with safety rails and ticket booths; it was a living, breathing world where science had briefly rewritten the rules of nature, only to surrender them back to the wild.
Reader's Guide
Site B represents the critical, often overlooked chapter of the InGen saga—the brutal bridge between scientific ambition and natural consequence. While Isla Nublar is remembered for its park disaster, Isla Sorna is where the dinosaurs truly ceased being exhibits and evolved into a species. It was here, in the absence of human hands, that complex social hierarchies formed, hunting strategies were refined, and the creatures adapted to fill ecological niches left vacant for sixty-five million years.
Did You Know?
- Site B served as the primary nursery where the first Velociraptors were born and raised before being transported to Isla Nublar's visitor center.
- For years after InGen abandoned the island, automated feeding systems continued to dispense food, artificially delaying the dinosaurs' necessary adaptation to wild hunting.
- Unlike Isla Nublar, which was designed with a public-facing visitor center, Site B was built strictly as an industrial breeding facility with zero plans for human tourism or access.
- The name 'Sorna' is derived from the Latin word for 'sorrow,' a grim nod to the tragic fate of both the project and its prehistoric inhabitants.