"We received a complaint from the Pedrógão Grande council about a theft that took place on New Year's Eve and we have taken steps," a source from the GNR told Lusa.

As part of the Christmas programme, the municipality announced “Jurassic Christmas”, an exhibition that invited visitors to discover these animals, which started on December 23 and ended on Monday.

The mayor of Pedrógão Grande, António Lopes, confirmed the complaint and appealed to those who stole the replica of a velociraptor, weighing around 50 kilograms, to place it in a visible place.

António Lopes stressed that “although there was security” in the place, “there was perhaps a window of opportunity” that made the theft possible.

“This exhibition was fantastic in terms of turnout, of families from the county and from other areas”, he added, lamenting the theft.