Fossil dinosaurs and eggs to be returned to Mongolia

Society
en_khuder@montsame.mn
2016-04-07 17:43:29

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The USA has returned several dinosaur eggs and fossils to Mongolia,  smugglers had taken from the country to sell to private collectors.

Among the returns are the almost complete skeleton of the Bactrosaurus, a large land-based herbivore; eggs and a skeleton from the sheep-sized Protoceratops dinosaur; and the skull of an Alioramus, a smaller relation of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

A ceremony took place on Tuesday at the headquarters of the New York Eastern District Court to return these findings to the Mongolian side.

"These are not souvenirs to be sold to the highest of bidders," said Robert Perez, director of Customs and Border Protection's New York Field Operations. "They are irreplaceable priceless pieces of a country's history, its identity, and its national heritage."

"We had some notion and some information that alerted our officers, our frontline officers to perform a more in-depth inspection of the actual goods as they were coming across the border," he said.

The most scientifically significant fossil returned to Mongolia, the 70-million-year-old Alioramus skull is one only three unearthed to date, all in Mongolia.

"The most complete specimen of an Alioramus skull ever discovered," U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said.

"The government of Mongolia deeply appreciates your efforts," the Ambassador of Mongolia B.Altangerel said.