Over the last fifteen years illegal fossil hunting has become big business.
Every time there is a sale it drives up the demand.
Fossil sites are being plundered. Their fossil remains sold across the world. An international black market is flourishing and many of the traders have criminal records. But with no real laws to protect fossils this illegal trade continues to grow. The fossil rich lands of the United States have been badly hit by fossil poachers hungry to find these ancient treasures.