For Bataar the dinosaur, road home to Mongolia ran through U.S. courts

In May, a Dallas-based auction house sold a Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton for over a million dollars. But no one knew how T. Rex’s Asian cousin ended up in the U.S. It is a tale of intrigue, national pride and an unbelievable heap of coincidences. America Tonight host Joie Chen follows the trail from the Gobi Desert to New York, and interviews lawyers, archeologists and the president of Mongolia himself to understand how the dinosaur got here, and why it was so important to take it back.

Who is Bataar?

Only the biggest hero you’ve never heard of … until now.

Bataar is from Mongolia, a place with a long history of conquering heroes.

Think Genghis Khan. And if you are up on more modern Mongolian history, the current president, Elbegdorj.

Not familiar with Elbegdorj? I wasn’t either, until I met with him last month at the United Nations. (By the way, everyone just calls him Elbegdorj because using a single name is pretty typical in Mongolia.)

Elbegdorj is a pretty exceptional guy. He came from a traditional herder’s family, riding the steppes. He ended up studying journalism at university in the Soviet Union and later went on to create Mongolia’s first independent democratic newspaper and TV station.

But he’s made his biggest footprint as president of Mongolia. You might wonder how big a deal it is for Elbegdorj to be re-elected earlier this year, but think about what he is up against. For one thing, his country is sandwiched between China and Russia, two of the world’s biggest superpowers. Mongolia was always on those “one of the poorest countries in the world” lists until just a few years ago.

But, all of a sudden, the world seems to have discovered Mongolia’s vast mineral wealth. And while that might seem to be a good thing—vaulting Mongolia into the “one of the world’s fastest-growing economies” lists— it creates all kinds of problems for this remote, land-locked country.

There’s sudden wealth, with a Louis Vuitton store even arriving in Ulan Bator, the capital. Then, there’s the massive pollution risk created by the sudden population spike for those living in the ger settlements outside Ulan Bator, known locally as “U.B.” The Mongolians living in these round structures, better known as yurts in the U.S., often use coal-burning stoves for fuel and heat.

There’s also the exploitation of fossils, something Mongolia has more of than any other country in the world. And not just any fossils. We’re talking fossils of dinosaurs from 150 million years ago.

That is where our story about Bataar begins.