NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — A life-size baby dinosaur disappeared from a museum exhibit in Florida, and police are searching for the thief who took it.
The animatronic baby velociraptor was taken from the Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology & Science, a representative for the museum told WFLA.
The first day of construction for the new Dino & Dragons Exhibit at the museum was supposed to be Tuesday, but when a curator responsible for the exhibit arrived, he noticed the dinosaur was missing and the straps that held the creature in place had been cut, Bay News 9 reported.
The Dino & Dragons Exhibit is billed as “the most realistic dinosaur and dragon attraction” and is scheduled to be open from Dec. 9 to Feb. 26, according to the exhibit’s website. The exhibit is described as containing more than 100 life-sized dinosaurs and dragons, as well as labs, shows and rides.
The baby velociraptor is valued at approximately $6,000 and is described as weighing approximately 60-80 pounds and is 8 feet long and 4 feet tall, officials told Bay News 9.
A museum representative told WFLA that officers with the New Port Richey Police Department canvassed neighborhoods and put out an alert to be on the lookout for the dinosaur.
©2022 Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LLENQYITEREXVFPITOFJ2IGEH4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/QUJEAYDBWBAYNPYYNZEJUDHATI.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7V46ACI2ZBHGVNDS3SW5PREW74.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/3ZXD332BGNHCZEPSIGVPJFKMNA.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/2N6NK3JWLNESNIGRPUN72EVFZM.jpg)