Fossil skeleton to be returned home soon

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A ceremony took place Monday in New York city to repatriate fossil skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Bataar to Mongolia. During the ceremony, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ms Ts.Oyungerel and the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Mr John T. Morton signed a document on sending back the dinosaur skeleton to Mongolia. Then, the state prizes were awarded by a decree of the State Head of Mongolia to 13 people who made the big efforts. The Polar Star Order went to Robert Paynter, an advocate, and to Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Present at the ceremony were P.Tsagaan, the head of the Presidential Office; B.Altangerel, the Ambassador of Mongolia to the USA; O.Och, the Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the UN; officials of the Ministry; Mr Preet Bharara; and others. The nearly complete skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Bataar, a cousin of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex, had been put up for sale and went for USD 1.05 million last year before United States authorities intervened at Mongolia's request. Mr Preet Bharara said at a handing-over ceremony that the US had stopped a "criminal scheme and now, one year later, we are very pleased to have played a pivotal role in returning Mongolia's million-dollar baby". The bones will find a welcoming home on return. "We never had a dinosaurs' museum before, so we'll set up for the first time a new museum called Central Dinosaur Museum of Mongolia. T Bataar is going to be the first item, the first exhibit of the museum," Ms Oyungerel said. It has been the first cultural repatriation ever to Mongolia, she added. Apart of the Tyrannosaurus Bataar skeleton, remains of 18 fossil skeletons will be returned home, according to Mr Bharara.