Since 2012, we have assisted the Mongolian and United States governments with the repatriation of over 30 fossil dinosaur specimens that were taken from Mongolia illegally.
ISMD founder Bolortsetseg Minjin has worked to identify and repatriate illegally exported Mongolian fossils since 2012, bringing over 30 specimens home where they can help inspire the next generation of Mongolian paleontologists.
This skeleton of the Mongolian dinosaur Tarbosaurus bataar was almost sold to wealthy bidders at an auction in 2012, the day after this photo was taken. It now resides in the central hall of the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs in Ulaanbaatar thanks to efforts of the ISMD and the US and Mongolian governments.
To date, the Institute for the Study of Mongolian Dinosaurs had helped bring over 30 scientifically-important dinosaur specimens home to Mongolia after they were illegally taken from the country.
Dinosaur fossils that were illegally exported out of Mongolia often turn up in the hands of private collectors who may not realize that their prizes were obtained outside the law. We encourage anyone who might be in possession of Mongolian fossils to confirm their legality and contact us to have the fossil returned to Mongolia, no questions asked, where it can serve as a valuable source of information and inspiration to science and the public.
Protoceratops is a dinosaur about the size of a sheep, native to Mongolia. This specimen was illegally exported at an unknown date and repatriated in 2016 after being found in the hands of a private owner.
Posted: March 6, 2017 by Bolortsetseg Minjin
Fossil Repatriation
Since 2012, we have assisted the Mongolian and United States governments with the repatriation of over 30 fossil dinosaur specimens that were taken from Mongolia illegally.