Family business ‘heartbroken’ after dinosaurs stolen from car park

A family business has been left in a “whirlwind of nightmares” after two of their interactive animatronic dinosaurs were stolen from a car park.

Tom Pruen, who owns Bristol-based company Raptors World, said the two models, named Rexy and Yoshi, were stolen from a hotel car park in Thurrock, Essex.

The small business hires out and operates lifelike interactive dinosaur models at events across the country.

Rexy and Yoshi were parked in a van overnight at the Thurrock West Premier Inn. They were set to appear at an event in the Lakeside Shopping Centre on Sunday and Monday.

Mr Pruen said the van was stolen around 4.30am on Monday, which also contained a “full Jurassic set-up” as well as the two dinosaurs.

“Its just been a whirlwind of nightmares, to be honest,” Mr Pruen told The Independent: “We're still hopeful that all that stuff will get dumped because they are of no real value to anyone else, and the dinosaurs are going to be difficult to sell because of how distinctive they are.”

The dinosaurs cost between £5,000 and £10,000 each, and the Raptors World owner said it has been a “mad scramble” to acquire all the materials needed so that they could still run events this weekend.

Mr Pruen said he was thankful to other dinosaur model hiring companies which reached out to him offering their assistance after Rexy and Yoshi were reported stolen.

Yoshi is a light green velociraptor, and Rexy is a dark green tyrannosaurus rex.

Mr Pruen worries he will be unable to retrieve the missing dinosaurs and fears the van has already been stripped apart to be sold for parts. He added he would be “very surprised” if the thieves put the dinosaurs up for sale because they are so distinct.

In a direct appeal to the thieves, Mr Pruen said: “Please bring back my dinos – you don’t understand the damage you have caused.

“All I can think about is the people whose faces we've made smile with those dinosaurs throughout the years. Our customers are devastated, and it's heartbreaking to hear the stories from the people we will potentially let down.

“All we want to do is put smiles on children's faces and make a few adults scream – that's what makes a good day.

“This job takes real dedication, and there’s been a lot of work behind the scenes to get us to where we are today.

“I just hope the thieves come to their senses and just dump the van somewhere, and hopefully our dinosaurs can be returned back to us.”

Raptors World said they are willing to offer a reward for the safe return of the dinosaurs.

Essex Police confirmed it is investigating reports of a van stolen from Stonehouse Lane, Purfleet.