Saved for science: customs officers handed over a mammoth tooth, a rare bird, and fossils to the natural history museum
Kyiv • UNN
Kyiv customs officers handed over 62 items seized during customs control to the National Scientific and Natural History Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Among them are a mammoth tooth, ancient eurypterids, Jurassic mollusks, and a stuffed rare bird.
Kyiv customs officials handed over 62 items of significant scientific, museum, and educational value to the National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. All of them had previously been seized during customs control of international postal shipments. This was reported by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, writes UNN.
Details
Among the transferred items is a rare paleontological specimen: a mammoth tooth – an animal characteristic of the late Pleistocene in Ukraine (130–13 thousand years ago). It was attempted to be sent to Qatar, declared as a metal product worth 50 dollars.
The museum also received 8 imprints of ancient eurypterids (fossils) aged 417–443 million years, which were sent by mail to Spain and Thailand, as well as 52 mollusks (ammonites) from the Jurassic period, which were attempted to be sent to Canada under the guise of aquarium decorations.
Also transferred was a stuffed specimen of a rare predatory bird – the blue-footed snake eagle, which was attempted to be sent to the USA. This species is protected by the CITES Convention. The Convention stipulates that for the export of any animal or plant, living or dead, and any easily recognizable part or derivative thereof, it is necessary to first obtain permits issued by the administrative bodies of Ukraine regarding the implementation of the Convention's requirements.
The transfer of cultural, scientific, and natural values to the state part of the museum, library, and archive funds is carried out by decision of the Expert Fund Council under the Ministry of Culture, the customs officials added.