Australia Returns Fossils to China

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050930/ap_on_sc/dinosaur_fossils

(I dunno about that 'small dinosaur fossil' in the accompanying figure...)

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Australia Returns Fossils to China

PERTH, Australia - Australia on Friday handed over to the Chinese government 
10,000 fossils that had been illegally exported from China, including 
dinosaur eggs, ancient turtles and a saber-toothed cat, an official said.

Australian officials seized the fossils after receiving an official request 
from Beijing in 2003, Environment and Heritage Minister Ian Campbell said in 
a statement.

A joint operation between Australian police and customs netted an 
"extraordinary" range of pieces, including early elephant and rhinoceros 
bones and rare fossils of fish and reptiles, Campbell said.

Some of the fossils date back 230 million years and have a total value of up 
to $3.8 million.

The minister formally handed the fossils over to Chinese Ambassador Fu Ying 
at a ceremony held at the Chinese consulate in the Western Australia state 
capital, Perth.

"In 230 million years, a short detour to Australia and back is a mere blip 
in history," Campbell told the gathering. "All in all, it is a massive 
collection. It is one of the biggest fossil hauls in world history, and 
certainly the biggest in Chinese and Australian history."

Campbell said he hoped Australia's cooperation with China would signal "yet 
another strengthening of the relationship" between the two countries.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison said Australia was one of the first countries 
to help China stop the flow of illegally exported fossils.

Ellison said some of the fossils had been bought by Australians unaware that 
such items can be legally removed from China only with a permit from the 
Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources.

"The Australian government has great respect for the significance of these 
items as part of China's scientific and cultural history, and is committed 
to ensuring the world's important heritage is protected into the future," 
Ellison said