More smuggled dinosaur skeletons to be returned to Mongolia
The “nearly complete” skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar was turned over to representatives of the government of Mongolia in a ceremony in New York.
The US announced it will return more than a dozen illegally smuggled dinosaur fossils to Mongolia.
The latest discovery includes two more Tyrannosaurus bataars, six Oviraptors and several Gallimimuses, BBC reported.
It follows the handing over to Mongolian officials on Monday of a 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar, which was looted from the Gobi Desert.
US Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement the recovery of the "treasure trove of dinosaur fossils" is a significant step forward to restoring the Mongolian people's history.
"One cannot put a price tag on cultural artifacts or overstate the importance of their role in a country’s history, and we are delighted to be moving the process of returning these fossils to Mongolia forward," he said.
The skeletons were recovered in a recent probe into the illegal importation of dinosaur fossils from Mongolia, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Mongolian government said it intends to open a dinosaur museum to display the skeletons.