Ulaanbaatar, August 8, 2023 /MONTSAME/. The US is returning a collection of dinosaur fossils to Mongolia. The repatriation ceremony of Mongolian dinosaur fossils was held at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC on August 3.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh and Ambassador of Mongolia to the United States Batbayar Ulziidelger were present at the event, representing the Government of Mongolia.

The fossils were recovered through HSI investigations conducted by our offices in Arizona, New York, and Wyoming, and the collection was represented by a tyrannosaurus bataar skull, protoceratops fossil, alioramus skull, and saurolophus skull. The alioramus, which resembles a smaller version of a tyrannosaurus rex, is exclusively found in Mongolia – the source of many, extremely rare fossils. The specimen on display at the ceremony is considered one of the best-preserved fossils ever found of the dinosaur that lived approximately 70 million years ago, HIS reports.

“These fossils, once lost to time and distance, now find their way back to the land, where they were first discovered. The remarkable journey of these artifacts demonstrates the strength of collaborative diplomacy and a solid dedication to preserving our cultural heritage. I am delighted to acknowledge the valuable contributions of law enforcement officers and special agents, agencies, attorneys, judges… our collective efforts demonstrated the potential to effectively fight illegal smuggling, both bilaterally and multilaterally,” said Foreign Minister Battsetseg.

“Federal criminal and civil laws provide HSI the unique authority to take a leading role in investigating crimes involving the illicit importation, exportation, and distribution of cultural property, antiquities, and art – including fossils – which are part of a country’s cultural heritage and history,” said Executive Associate Director of HSI Katrina W. Berger. “Today’s repatriation includes specimens from 12 different investigations. I commend the case agents, partners, and experts whose hard work and dedication helped make this repatriation possible. These cases can be quite complex and take many years, but the reward is being able to return these objects to their rightful owners—the people of Mongolia.”

“Today’s event is dedicated to acknowledge the solid contributions of the officers and special agents from Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. attorneys, judges, scientists, and all individuals present here at ceremony as well as those who are absent due to their duty, who made this day possible,” said Ambassador Batbayar. “This ceremony is a testament to the strong partnership between the Government of Mongolia and the United States and we are fortunate to witness the first-ever public display of these Mongolian dinosaur fossils.”

The first of the cases began in May 2012 when an HSI New York investigation revealed that an individual was selling a fossilized alioramus skull through a U.S.-based auction house; that skull is part of the collection being returned.

Later that same year, the HSI Casper, Wyoming office’s investigations relating to the illegal importation and subsequent sale of dinosaur fossils originating from Mongolia, led to multiple seizures of a wide range of paleontological fossils illegally taken from Mongolia, including a rare juvenile tyrannosaurus battar skull; a fossilized gallimimus skeleton; a tarbosaurus bataar skeleton; nests of dinosaur eggs; a saber-toothed cat skull; a complete psittacosaurus skeleton; and a protoceratops skull. Some of these dinosaurs lived more than 100 million years ago in the Gobi.

Since 2012, over 30 fossil dinosaur specimens that were taken from Mongolia illegally have been repatriated with the help of the Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs. Specially, the Institute Founder Bolortsetseg Minjin has worked to identify and repatriate illegally exported Mongolian fossils.