Tyrannosaurus taken from Mongolia

On Monday, Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj dispached a team of scientists, lawyers, and government representatives to New York City to return a 24-ft by 8-ft tall Tyrannosaurus dinosaur that paleontologists say was looted from his country.

In May, Dallas-based Heritage Auctions sold a Tarbosaurus baatar fossil, a close cousin of North America’s T-Rex, for $1,052,500 in New York.

Before the controversial bones went on the block, Mongolia’s President and scientists suspected the dinosaur was stolen from his country -- a crime according to Mongolian law.

Elbegdorj contacted Texas Attorney Robert Painter to stop the sale of the historic artifact.

Before the auction, Painter secured a temporary restraining order from a Dallas judge against the sale or auction of the fossil. Despite the restraining order, the auction house continued the sale even though Painter, in attendance, tried to halt it with the Dallas judge on the phone. Heritage refused to speak with the judge and escorted Painter off the premises.

Eventually, Mongolia’s president and the auction house came to an agreement to store the bones until a team of scientists could decide the origin of the specimen.

But Monday’s report from the world’s leading paleontologists in the field, Dr. Norell and Dr. Philip Currie, show the dinosaur is Mongolian, and was looted from the country within the last 10 years.

In their report, Dr. Currie and Dr. Norell wrote that, “The general appearance of the animal and the color of the bones indicate to us that this is the skull and skeleton of a Tarbosaurus bataar (also known as Tyrannosaurus bataar) from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia.”
The Tyrannosaurus bataar was named as the species in the auction’s house catalog. “There has never been a dispute as to the species,” Painter said.

The scientists based their decision partly on the soil stains on the bones and the provenance of the species only being found in a section of the country. They said they were positive the dinosaur was discovered and transported out of Mongolia.

Painter said President Elbegdorj and his staff confirmed the legalities of their own country before claiming the fossil was stolen.  “It’s against the law to export dinosaurs from Mongolia. Period. It is now, it has been for at least the last 50 plus years,” Painter said.

So far, Mongolia’s President isn’t turning a blind eye to what he believes was a theft and attempted sale of his people’s cultural heritage.

The president’s attorney said all parties remain hopeful that a fair and acceptable resolution can be reached “without need for additional expert opinions or litigation.”

Heritage Auctions has not yet responded to the paleontologist’s  report.