Brazil has recovered 25 fossils of insects originating from Chapada do Araripe, a paleontological site in Ceará, brought clandestinely to the United Kingdom. The material was announced for sale in a website specializing in the commercialization of rocks and fossils.
The fossils arrived in Brazil last week at the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) in Brasilia. They will be transferred to the Plácido Cidade Clouds Palucid Paleontology Museum, which is in Santana do Cariri (CE). The repatriation of the material was obtained after action by the Federal Public Prosecution Service (MPF) received a complaint made by a researcher in February 2023.
“Based on paleontological reports that certified the Brazilian fossil origin, the MPF’s International Cooperation Secretariat (SCI) requested legal assistance from the British authorities to locate the person responsible for the sale, obtain information about the origin of the material and to provide the return of heritage to Brazil,” said the MPF.
With the return of the pieces to Brazil, now the MPF will continue the investigations, in an attempt to identify those responsible for the illegal extraction of public assets.
The MPF also informed that two other cases are underway. Both await France’s court decision and involve an almost complete skeleton of Anhanguera pterossauro with almost 4 meters wingspan and another 45 fossils, which include sea turtles, arachnids, fish, reptiles, insects and plants, some 2 million years old.
“This material is valued at almost 600 thousand euros (about $ 4 million, for the current exchange rate) – given the rarity, scientific interest and the quality of preservation,” said the institution.
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Brazilian law prohibits the exploitation and sale of Brazilian fossils, also prohibiting the extraction, marketing, transportation and export of this type of material without the prior and express authorization of the Brazilian government.
In cases where the part is sent abroad, repatriation is requested after procedures to identify the Brazilian origin of a particular material. “From there, a process of international cooperation begins for the authorities of the country, where the play is, can collect evidence and listen to the people involved, in order to seize and arrange the return of that good,” said the MPF.
Chapada do Araripe
The Chapada do Araripe (CE) region houses fossils of the Cretaceous period – from 145 million to 66 million years ago. However, for decades, many of these fossils have been illegally removed and sent to private collections and foreign museums, often without due scientific record.
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According to the MPF, since 2022 more than a thousand fossils of animals and plants have been repatriated from the region and taken irregularly to Europe.
