Colombia: Ancient statues replaced with cardboard cut-outs

A visitor inspects an unusual 'statue'

Ancient statues at an archaeological park in Colombia have been replaced with cardboard cut-outs, it's reported.

A sign at San Agustin park informs visitors that the pre-Columbian statues - some of which are 2,000 years old - have been taken to Colombia's national museum in the capital, Bogota. But NTN 24 television reports they are actually being kept at a local museum. An official from the park told the TV that the statues will be moved to Bogota "later".

Either way, "this looks like a prank... and tourists are mad", NTN 24 reports. "To me, it is a really big fraud," says one visitor to the park.

The San Agustin archaeological park is home to the largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America, and is a designated UNESCO world heritage site. Statues from the park date back to the 1st - 8th centuries AD.

One of the original stone statues in the park