U.S. Returns Stolen Dinosaur Fossils And Eggs To Mongolia

At last, a cache of dinosaur fossils stolen from Mongolia was returned by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents. Having originated from six dinosaur species smuggled out of Mongolia, they were finally seized by agents in New York and Utah.

"Today's ceremony is an excellent demonstration of the cooperation between HSI, our colleagues at the Department of Justice and our foreign counterparts with the Government of Mongolia," said Peter Edge, HSI's executive associate director. "A successful repatriation requires extensive cooperation among all parties involved, which is rewarded by the knowledge that we've returned what rightfully belongs to the people of Mongolia."

The cache included an Alioramus skull, Bactrosaurus skeleton, Protoceratops baby skeleton pieces, Troodontid egg bed, Psittacosaurus skeleton and skull and Hadrosaurus skeleton pieces.

The largest of the fossils was the Alioramus skull, that originated from an extremely rare species living in the Gobi Desert about 66 to 70 million years ago. It was a relative of the Tyrannosaurs, but only two specimens have been found.

This is a complete Alioramus fossil  discovered till now by the scientists.

The smugglers shipped the fossil from France with false papers trying to identify it as an artificial replacement. Later, they submitted forged Mongolian export documents before that country had declared it as their national property in 1924. The customs agents took over the stolen dinosaur fossils.

Robert Capers, Brooklyn's U.S. attorney, hosted the function related to the return of the fossils.

"We are proud of our role in restoring this rich paleontological heritage to the Mongolian people and taking these cultural treasures from the hands of looters and smugglers," he said. "We stand beside the people of Mongolia by disrupting the international trade in smuggled fossils and returning them to their home where they will be studied and treasured."

"Mongolia is home to the world's largest reserve of dinosaur fossils with many discoveries waiting to be made," he added.

In the past three years, 23 dinosaur fossils were sent back to Mongolia from the United States, including a Tarbosaurus bataar fossil more than 70 million years old.