On February 16, 2024, sixteen dinosaur fossils, considered as six species of Mongolian cultural heritage, were brought back from the United States to Ulaanbaatar and officially handed over to a relevant organization under the guidelines of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Among these fossils is the “Alioramus” dinosaur, belonging to the Tyrannosauridae family and only found exclusively from Mongolia.
The successful repatriation was the result of a concerted effort by multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, the Mongolian Embassy to the U.S, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities. The parties had signed the “Agreement on the Non-Dispute Transfer of Property” on May 23, 2023. During the official visit of Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene to the United States, a ceremony for the return of aforementioned dinosaur fossils was held in Washington, D.C., with Minister for Foreign Affairs B. Battsetseg representing the Government of Mongolia.
Through the cooperation between the Governments of Mongolia and the United States, illegally exported dinosaur fossils were repatriated to Mongolia in the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2019, respectively.