France returns looted Tarbosaurus skeleton, hundreds of fossils to Mongolia

France has returned a rare Tarbosaurus bataar skeleton and 217 additional dinosaur fossils to Mongolia, concluding a decade-long investigation into an international trafficking network that also led to the return of nearly 1,000 illegally exported fossils to Brazil in 2022.

The fossils and a “remarkable” Tarbosaurus bataar skeleton, seized in 2015 and collectively valued at more than $7 million, were presented by Public Accounts Minister Amélie de Montchalin to Mongolian Ambassador Nyamkhuu Ulambayar during a handover ceremony in Paris last Monday.

“A new chapter is opening between our two countries thanks to our joint efforts to protect the remains of prehistoric animals that lived millions of years ago on our planet and to further research about them,” Mongolian Culture Minister Undram Chinbat said.

“I am confident that the fossils returned to Mongolia today through cooperation between Mongolia, France, Brazil and other countries will attract both domestic and international visitors, support scientific research, and generate significant public interest.”