It was sponsored by the stock exchange and investor Paulo Spyer.
Spyer, who owns a consultancy firm named Vai Tourinho (“Go Little Bull” in Portuguese), said he was honored to give “a gift to all Brazilians.” Some locals were keen to snap pictures with the sculpture, which resembles the Charging Bull in Manhattan’s financial district.Under orders from Sao Paulo’s stock exchange, a crane took away the bull Tuesday night, its head and horns wrapped in plastic.Maria Gomes, who has worked in the region 30 years, said Wednesday she was pleased by the removal of the sculpture, which she initially thought was an ad for a barbecue restaurant and had deemed “hideous.” Still, she felt the bull may have been unfairly blamed.