A worker arranges dinosaur egg fossils unearthed in Heyuan, Guangdong Province, on April 19, 2015. (Photo : Xinhua/cnr.cn)
Heyuan, China’s “home of the dinosaurs” in southeast Guangdong Province, is currently under threat from thieves digging illegally for dinosaur fossils and fossilized eggs in exchange for huge sums of money, the Want Daily Times reported on Thursday.
Heyuan became globally known as a hotbed for prehistoric dinosaur fossils ever since the first specimens were excavated there in 1996. But as a fossilized dinosaur egg can fetch thousands of yuan on the market, several locals have resorted to looting these fossils for profit.
In July, police seized a total of 213 fossils at a residence in the area, although authorities say it is difficult to count how many items have been excavated illegally in the past.
The theft of fossils has become so rampant that locals now gather around new construction sites, waiting for the ground to get blasted and for new fossils to be exposed, the report said.
According local officials, a recent incident in June had fossil thieves reportedly bearing hammers and knives to use as weapons should anyone try and stop them from their "work," so the construction crew did not interfere.
Because of the large profits to be made from selling fossils, robbers can often be seen fighting each other in the streets for the artifacts, the report said.
The prevalence of fossils in the city has led to a strong black market for these items, and this underground market continues to operate due to the lack of law enforcement on the part of the local government, the report added.
