Thieves target dinosaur business
A Houston business owner is offering a $1,500 reward for the return of three 7-foot-tall dinosaur costumes and a trailer he said were stolen last week.
Oscar Bravo started the entertainment business Jurassic Extreme in 2015, inspired by his son’s love of dinosaurs.
The disappearance of the dinosaurs, used for children’s birthday parties and other events, comes after two baby dinosaurs, speakers and other items were stolen in December.
Oscar said each dinosaur may cost around $3,500 to replace, plus shipping costs from China. The trailer could cost around $8,000. Bravo took to Facebook to offer a reward to anyone who could help return the dinosaurs and trailer.
The recently stolen dinosaurs were named Reese, a Dilophosaurus; Razor, a Velociraptor; and Rocco, a T-rex. Two of those dinosaurs were new additions to Jurassic Extreme’s collection meant to replace older, heavier costumes.
“We have parties booked almost every weekend. So, we’re going to make it work with what we have,” Oscar said. “We are reaching out to all our customers that booked with us to let them know about this situation and that we’re still going to provide the entertainment, just maybe not with the dinosaurs they had picked.”
Oscar said he discovered the trailer was stolen when he was driving by the area where it was parked, which he does at least once a week. Another theft hit the business around a year after the it started operating, he said.
Jessica Bravo, who runs the businesses alongside her husband, said Oscar did not file a police report after the December theft, but filed a report Monday for the missing trailer and costumes. The Houston Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I’m hopeful we can still recover them,” she said.
Jurassic Extreme started with two walking costumes, eventually working up to eight alongside the baby dinosaurs that are more puppet-like. Now, the couple is down to three working dinosaur costumes.
“I mean, what are they going to do with the dinosaurs?” Bravo said. “The moment that those images of those dinosaurs are put on the internet, I’m going to know they’re ours.”