Whale fossil stuck in Egypt customs wrangle

For years archaeologists have been unearthing a remarkable collection of whale fossils, all the more surprising because the area is now inland desert in upper Egypt.

I can't even believe this..

Customs want's 40,000$ to let these fossil's back into their own country..

to go into their own museum so people can pay $$ to see them..

For the past two years Prof Gingerich and his team have been painstakingly reassembling the skeleton back in Michigan. It is now being returned to Egypt for a new museum, planned for the Valley of the Whales

Customs agents are demanding a $40,000 fee.

One of the most exceptional finds was a 37 million-year-old whale from the species Basilosaurus Isis, unearthed by a team led by Prof Philip Gingerich of the University of Michigan in the United States.

But now it has become the subject of a bizarre customs wrangle at Cairo airport.

source






[edit on 31-7-2010 by baddmove]

reply to post by baddmove


c,mon people..

check this out, it's a good read..

reply to post by baddmove



Ah, this is a different article than the one I read last few days. It seems there are so many whale fossils in Egypt, maybe they don't care if they get this one back!

Check this out. Some awesome pics.

ngm.nationalgeographic.com... tography

reply to post by Blanca Rose


yea..

that was awesome..

thanks..

reply to post by baddmove


Baddmove.....

It's rather big for a fossil.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by baddmove


Ooops, did you see them? I checked the link I posted and didn't see what I tried to highlight. Just type whale fossils to the search feature.

Sorry about that.

reply to post by Maybe...maybe not


LOL..i know MMN..

But that's not the point..

The point is that customs won't let them bring it back into the country unless they pay 40,000$ ..

but it belong to them..lol..go figure..

that's like me saying ..

here MMN i have your clothes from the cleaners.. they belong to you..ok..and you say..well pay me 400$ and i will take them from you...

reply to post by Blanca Rose


Yes BR..

they are in there..you just have to look..

i liked them alot too..

reply to post by baddmove


Baddmove.....

My point is that it's very large for a fossil!

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by Maybe...maybe not


Well.. what do you consider large?

just wondering..

a whalebone will be rather large..right?


this kinda large too..?

www.wmnh.com...

lol..just having fun with ya...

[edit on 31-7-2010 by baddmove]

reply to post by baddmove


Baddmove.....

Yes.....

That would be quite large.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by baddmove


Baddmove.....

this kinda large too..?
www.wmnh.com...

What if that guy's a dwarf?

Why would that be funny?

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

reply to post by Maybe...maybe not


because all short people are funny..er...

what were we disusing again?

oh yea..whales...

Originally posted by baddmove
reply to post by Maybe...maybe not

 

because all short people are funny..er...
what were we disusing again?
oh yea..whales...

Baddmove.....

Yeah.....

I think you're right.....he's CGI.

So, it's all good.

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

Egypt has a large resource of whale ancestor fossils. Seriously, it's unreal. I'd move there just for studying if I could talk my wife into it!

Unfortuately, like almost any governement with valuable resources (be it economical or historical) they control the market and will charge whatever they can when ever they can when.

What should be public knowledge is never free, unfortunately. =(

[edit on 31-7-2010 by Protostellar]