US EditionFrance to Return Smuggled Dinosaur Skeleton to Mongolia
The 70-million-year-old Tarbosaurus skeleton and 30 other fossils were seized in France in 2015 and returned to Mongolia under government efforts to reclaim looted relics.
- On Monday, France was to hand over a Tarbosaurus bataar skeleton to Mongolia after French customs seized the specimen in Gannat, central France, in 2015; it was removed from the Gobi Desert before trafficking.
- Amid long-running recovery efforts, the Mongolian government has sought to reclaim fossils held abroad, as export licences for fossils require authorisation and typically prompt returns when missing.
- Valuation details show French customs called the Tarbosaurus bataar 'extremely rare' and Sophie Hocquerelle said it was worth around €700,000 when seized, now two to three times more.
- Public Accounts Minister Amelie de Montchalin will hand over the Tarbosaurus skeleton and around 30 other items including dinosaur eggs later on Monday, returning material sought by the Mongolian government.
- Historically, thousands of ancient fossils have disappeared from Mongolia since Roy Chapman Andrews's explorations, and no Tarbosaurus bataar specimens have been reported outside Asia, highlighting repatriation stakes.
19 Articles
19 Articles
On Monday, France handed over to Mongolia a 70-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton stolen from the Gobi Desert and confiscated by French customs.
The skeleton was illegally taken from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia in 2015, smuggled through South Korea and later seized by French customs.
der Standard AT
In 2015, the French customs confiscated fossils worth around six million euros from the East Asian country. All finds were returned to Mongolia.
29 fossils, seized in 2015 by customs, were handed over this Monday to Mongolia. A paleontological treasure that highlights the importance of fossil trafficking Conserved for 70 million years
An exceptional specimen of tarbosaurus baatar, known as the Asian cousin of the famous T-Rex, must be returned by France to the Mongolian authorities on Monday 8 December after being seized by the French customs authorities in 2015.
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