France has returned a piece of prehistory to its rightful home.
A 70-million-year-old Tarbosaurus skeleton looted from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.
It’s not every day a dinosaur gets a homecoming, but this “extremely rare” fossil had quite the journey before ending up back where it belongs.
Seized by French customs in 2015 after being smuggled through South Korea, the fossil was officially handed over in Paris.
At the ceremony, France’s Public Accounts Minister Amélie de Montchalin declared, “A piece of the Gobi Desert is about to return to its homeland.”
She called the handover the result of a “long and meticulous investigation.”
Fossils Returned Home
Mongolia’s culture and sports minister, Undram Chinbat, couldn’t agree more.
“For me and for all the Mongolian people, it’s imperative to have our dinosaur fossils back,” she said.
Thanking France for restoring a scientific treasure that should never have left the desert in the first place.
Along with the dinosaur, several fossilised eggs were also returned — all destined for a new museum Mongolia plans to open soon.
Until then, experts will study and restore the remains, giving the ancient predator a bit of modern care.
A 70-million-year detour ends… and now the Tarbosaurus is finally heading home.
