Two years ago, 28 FBI agents and National Guardsmen
raided the Black Hills Geological Institute in South Dakota, seized
a dinosaur named Sue, and carted her off to a basement in Rapid
City (HCN, 9/21/92). Last October, the Supreme Court let stand an
appeals court decision that ruled the agents had acted correctly in
confiscating the 65-million-year-old allosaur fossil from a
commercial dealer. Sue’s Supreme Court ruling may mean more
regulation for fossil prospectors, a bone of contention among
paleontologists and commercial dealers. Some paleontologists say
tighter rules are needed to prevent commercial dealers from keeping
specimens from science, as private collectors can pay more than
museums. Sue, for example, was valued at $5 million. But some
scientists argue that scientists can rarely afford the large-scale
excavations of commercial outfits. In the case of Sue, the court
ruled that although the Black Hills Institute paid for permission
to dig, it failed to get authorization from the federal government,
which holds Cheyenne River Sioux land in trust. For now, Sue’s
remains remain in boxes under federal seal in Rapid
City.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Sue stays put.
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