New Delhi : While the damage accrued to the nearly 40-year-old National Museum of Natural History, which housed among its exhibits several taxidermied animals and a life-size model of a dinosaur, is yet to be assessed, experts said the mishap could mean losing a ‘vital’ piece of history.
“It is indeed a tragic accident. Loss of collection is losing a vital piece of history. Natural history collections are invaluable pieces of scientific knowledge,” Director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Deepak Apte said. The incident highlights the importance of taking utmost care of such treasure troves, he said. Among the prized collections of the NMNH, envisioned to mark the silver jubilee of the country’s independence, is a life-size model of a dinosaur and an equally imposing model of an Indian rhino, which have been its crowd-pullers, especially for children during the summer vacations.
“We have a large collection of natural flora and fauna, few fossils and collections of natural history. According to our policy, we had only displayed one third of our total collection and the rest was kept in reserve. We are not allowed to enter the premises as of now and so have no clue about the extent of the loss in the fire,” Naaz Rizvi, a scientist at the museum, told PTI.
