Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
season, and it is always good to start an expedition knowing that you
already have got something valuable to collect. Our questions con-
cerning the identity of this specimen would have to wait. Before we
left this site, we covered it with soft sand to camouflage the area and
prevent looters from disturbing our discovery.
In recent years, fossil poachers have become a serious problem for
professional paleontologists. Looters are seduced by the high prices
that fossils command in international markets and in auction houses.
Although most countries have legislation against fossil collecting
with commercial interest, many fail to provide the strict and wide-
spread vigilance needed to prevent fossil sites from being plundered.
Unfortunately, Argentina is no exception, and early this season we had
discovered evidence of egg looting. We knew that the publicity gen-
erated by the significance of our discovery would put the integrity of
the site at risk; sadly, that day had come. We discovered several large
excavations on egg layer 3, some of which had been dug a few months
earlier and others very recently. The technique used for these exca-
vations indicated that the poachers were not professionals and that by
the time they had collected a few eggs they had probably destroyed
several egg clutches.
Incredibly, at least one of the poachers had left a clue to his iden-
tity at the site. As Luis was inspecting some of the holes that had been
excavated, he noticed some chunks of plaster scattered at the base of
the hill, and when he clambered down to inspect them, he spied a
small piece of paper stuck in a nearby bush. Thinking it might be a
receipt that had accidentally fallen out of his pocket, he retrieved it,
but upon closer examination, it turned out to be a receipt for plaster
bought at a hardware store in Neuquen about a week earlier. The
poacher had even signed the receipt. Amazed at this oversight, Luis
gave the receipt to Rodolfo, who turned it over to the police.
Nonetheless, our spectacular site had been plundered, and it is
still in jeopardy now. We see a clear and present danger for the scien-
tific integrity of this spectacular site, which highlights our need for
additional expeditions to recover as much information and material
as possible before poachers destroy it.
Our days passed as some people were molding the well-preserved
nests of egg layer 4, while others were exposing the titanosaur skele-
ton in egg layer 3 or mapping the egg clutches exposed on the flat sur-
