A recent break‑in at the National Natural History Museum in Paris resulted in the theft of gold samples worth approximately €600,000 ($700,000). The museum, renowned for its extensive collections—including dinosaur skeletons, taxidermy, and a geology and mineralogy gallery—discovered the theft on Tuesday morning. Intruders used an angle grinder and a blow torch to gain access to the riverside complex where the stolen items were kept.
According to the museum’s press office, the missing specimens are native gold, a natural alloy of gold and silver in an unrefined form. While the monetary value is significant, the museum stresses that the items possess “immeasurable heritage value.” Museum director Emmanuel Skoulios described the perpetrators as “an extremely professional team” who knew the location and possessed the necessary equipment to carry out the robbery. It remains unclear whether the museum’s alarm and surveillance systems—reportedly disabled by a cyber‑attack in July—were operational at the time.
The incident follows a series of thefts targeting cultural institutions in France. Earlier this month, the Adrien Dubouche National Museum in Limoges was broken into, resulting in the loss of Chinese porcelain valued at €6.5 million. In November, several 18th‑century works were stolen from the Cognacq‑Jay museum in Paris, and jewelry worth millions of euros was taken from a museum in Saône‑et‑Loire.
The National Natural History Museum has closed its mineralogy gallery and is conducting an inventory to determine if any other items are missing. The investigation is ongoing, with museum officials working closely with law enforcement to recover the stolen gold and prevent future incidents. This heist, one of the most significant museum robberies in recent years, underscores the urgent need for enhanced security and vigilance to protect cultural treasures.
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