Dino-nappers may be on the loose in Houston after a local party entertainment service, Jurassic Extreme, reported their trailer containing prized walking dinosaurs costumes was stolen last week, sparking a city-wide lookout for the prehistoric party pleasers. The company, desperate to recover its beloved reptiles, is extending a "generous" reward to anyone who can aid in their return, the theft leaving them in a lurch as they were gearing up to uplift the entertainment quotient for their customers.
The dinosaurs, named Reese, Razor, and Rocco, stood at 7 feet tall, one of them a fan-favorite T-rex used for children's birthday celebrations and various events, Oscar Bravo, the owner of Jurassic Extreme who started the business in 2015 motivated by his son's adoration for these ancient creatures, told KHOU 11 News and, in a crushing blow to the business, this isn't the first time they've faced a heist with an earlier theft a year after they commenced operations; the recent disappearance also follows a December incident where smaller dino costumes and equipment vanished.
Jurassic Extreme Houston took to Facebook to rally communal help, portraying the incident a "significant setback" as the group prepared to enhance their reveling options for Houstonians, and while Bravo and his team regroup to maintain their party schedule, the present dilemma poses a stark challenge, the company now reliant on their remaining dinosaur inventory to fulfill bookings almost every weekend.
Bravo, undeterred, is reaching out to his customers about the situation promising “We're going to make it work with what we have," he told the Houston Chronicle and vowing to still deliver the entertainment pledge to them, even if not with their original choice of dinosaur, he also pointed out the futility in the theft, noting "The moment that those images of those dinosaurs are put on the internet, I'm going to know they're ours." Bravo said he figured out the theft only when he happened to drive by the parking area, which is part of his regular weekly routine.
The loss of each dinosaur suit, estimated to be valued around $3,500, plus the additional cost of an $8,000 trailer is not only a monetary hit but has emotional repercussions too, for a small business built out of a child's wonder at prehistoric marvels and which has, until now, joyously animated the fantasies of many more. For leads, or to claim the reward, information can be shared via call or text to 713-322-9509, as the community is now the eyes and ears in this curious case of the missing Jurassic giants.
