CCTV9英语新闻：Dinosaur bones seized in US returned to Mongolia

Mongolia is home to the world’s largest reserve of dinosaur fossils. But it has become a hot spot for illegal traders selling mostly stolen artifacts, many of which end up in the United States. Over the past three years, U.S. law enforcement agencies have been working closely with the Mongolian government to help bring some of those items home.

 

This is the skull of an Alioramus, a meat-eating dinosaur that roamed Asia around 70 million years ago. It is the most complete specimen of its kind. Its rarity makes it invaluable, yet in 2014, it was auctioned on eBay by a French company, for a mere 300,000 dollars.

 

Before the sale could be completed, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) intercepted the stolen fossil at Newark airport in New Jersey. Now the U.S. is returning it to Mongolia, along with the remains of five other dinosaurs that will be displayed in a museum there.

 

The repatriation of these fossils is significant to all of us. These are not souvenirs to be sold to the highest of bidders. They are irreplaceable, priceless pieces of a country’s history, its identity and its national heritage,” said Robert Perez, director of CBP New York Office.

 

"The dinosaur fossils that we are receiving today from the U.S. government will be sent back to Mongolia and will be put under Mongolian government protection,” Mongolian ambassador to the U.S. Altangerel Bulgaa said.

 

Over the past three years, the Mongolian and US governments have been working together to seize stolen fossils. In that period, 23 dinosaur fossils have been repatriated to Mongolia.

 

Last December, actor Nicolas Cage agreed to return a stolen dinosaur skull he purchased in 2007 for $276,000 from a well-known gallery in Beverly Hills. He claims he did not know it was stolen.

 

Peter Edge of Homeland Security Investigations says it is hard to establish when something is stolen because of the prevalence of forged documents, but he says buyers need to be vigilant.

 

"So consumers should certainly beware if they’re going to buy what is labeled a fossil from Mongolia because it may or may not be a fossil and it may or may not be theirs to purchase because ultimately it could be seized,” Peter Edge, executive associate director of HSI, said.

 

U.S. authorities have not only been seizing fossils in record numbers, but have also been targeting stolen artifacts in recent years.

 

In March, authorities seized two Indian sculptures set to be sold at auction house, Christie's, in New York. A year earlier, more than 2,600 stolen artifacts, mainly from India and other southern Asian countries, were recovered with an estimated value of over 100 million dollars. It was the largest seizure of its kind in U.S. history.