Hundreds of tons of paleontological treasures wound up in the collection of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow. But since the fall of the Soviet Union, funding for what were once top-notch science programs has plummeted. Late last year, a Nobel physicist and Russian member of parliament chided his legislative colleagues over the pitiful allocation for science. Zhores Ivanovich Alferov pointed out that the budget allocated 1.1 billion rubles for a block of special flats for legislators, more than four times the entire capital allocation for science. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising to find scientific institutes using their collections to raise funds.
American museums do the same.
In 1993, the Paleontological Institute organized this dinosaur show in conjunction with an Australian museum. After leaving Australia, the specimens began their unusual tour of the United States, generally under the auspices of promoters with little, if any, experience in paleontological exhibits. The almost shoestring nature of the tour is visible in its Sacramento appearance. The gift shop is little more than a plain glass case, staffed at times by the California promoter's school-age son. The doorways of some exhibit rooms still bear the strike-plates for the lawyers' office doors.