TAXIDERMY AND MUSUEM MANAGEMENT

Taxidermy is a science of preservation of animals or parts of animals to resemble as close as possible the original live animal.
MUSEUM: A building where relics of natural artistic, historical or scientific objects are exhibited and preserved.
TYPES OF MUSEUM

1. War museum
2. Cultural museum.
3. Natural history museum.
   NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM: Can be defined as a building where wildlife trophies are displayed

BENEFITS OF NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

1. Provides information to visitors, tourists, researchers, students about wildlife resources in a particular region.
2. Serves as educational instructional materials.
3. Serves as a laboratory for taxidermic work.
4. Through wildlife museum, non-wildlife experts know the natural history of animals.
5. It affords an opportunity for the present generation to know the type of animals that had existed before our birth.
6. It creates understanding between seeing the animals in their natural habitats and knowing them.
7. It helps to have these animals at hand.
8. It provides means of having knowledge of the resources of the park.
9. It is an articulated institution for nature lovers.
   MUSEUM TECHNIQUES AND MANAGEMENT
   TIPS:
   Building: To shelter specimens collected from being destroyed by water
   Collection of Specimens: wildlife museum specimen should show the geology, geography, environment and resources of the area.
   Specimens are collected by organized shooting.
   Animals for specimen should not be sprayed with many bullets rather a shot should be made once on the skin.
   Data for specimen collection should be in a standard form. Immediately the animal is shot the following information should be collected;
   Name of collector
   Number of collectors
   Species of such animal
   Sex of the animal
   Age (through the use of aging techniques)
   Location
   Area
   Date of collection
   Habitat
   HOW TO MOUNT MUSEUM SPECIMEN
   Knowledge of natural history of species to be mounted helps when mounting the specimen:
   Zoogeographic arrangement: Specimen are displayed based on their original background irrespective of specimen
   Ecological arrangement: Specimens are displayed according to the ecological zones they exist in.
   Habitat management: Displayed based on habitat requirement.e.g. Terrestrial, aquatic.
   Behavioural arrangement: Specimens are displayed based on activity pattern.
   Systematic arrangement: Most common type of arrangement and specimens are arranged from the smallest animal to the largest.
   CARE OF SPECIMENS IN THE MUSEUM
   Specimens should be rehabilitated with spray or paint.
   Labels of specimens should be kept in place always.
   Gums should be used to hold specimens in place when cracked o sewn with thread.
   Temperature of the museum should neither be too hot nor too cold. High temperatures make specimens fragile or dry. Museum specimens are safer when placed in glass.

COLLECTION AND CARE OF BIRDS FOR SPECIMENS
Use shotguns loaded with small bullets to bring down the bed.
Bleeding holes should be blocked with cotton wool to avoid blood staining the feathers and skin.
Fresh blood should be removed with a damp cloth.
Colours of the eyes, beak, feet or fleshy parts should be noted before it loses colour in no time.
Birds should be carried by the legs to avoid feathers ruffling. It can be rolled up in a newspaper to avoid feathers ruffling and to maintain clean and undamaged feathers.
Put the bird in a refrigerator if it’s going to be skinned for a long time.
If skinning is to take place for a longer time, rap with aluminum foil and put in the freezer.
Do not draw the bird on the table before skinning to avoid making the skinning difficult.
When the bird is caught alive, kill with chloroform or through suffocation.
For small mammals, use traps or shoot. It can be gutted in the field.
Skinning is through dorsal or ventral incision.
FOR LARGE MAMMALS
They can be gutted in the field or taken home.
If dressed in the field, the legs, bones and skull should be taken home. It helps during model preparation.
FOR FISHES
Note the colours of the eyes, fins immediately.
Degut on one side, leave in a solution preferably formalin and change the solution periodically.
Keep in a cool and damp condition always and away from sunshine.
Those with scales should not be handles with dry hands.
Fish specimens can be kept in the freezer for a very long time without damage.

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS
Reptiles and amphibians should be captured alive because their body deteriorates rapidly after death.
Every specimen should be collected in a thick cloth bag.
Obtain the specimen when ready to prepare it.
Frogs are obtained through wading in a shallow pond and shining torchlight at the bank.
REASONS FOR MEASURING TROPHIES
It records the variability in the species
It keeps check on the gene pool of that species for comparative purposes
TIPS FOR MEASURING OF TROPHIES
Overall length- measure from the tip of the nose to the last vertebrae
Length of head
Height of the foot (taken from the hind hoof to the limb)
Tape to use (steel tape is preferable)
Measurement should be in inches
Do not measure horns immediately after 2 months due to natural shrinkage
Submit all your findings to the warden officer in charge.
INSTRUMENTS USED FOR SPECIMEN PREPARATION
Scissors
Assorted needles
Fine scissors
End cutters
Bone scissors
Long nose pliers
Files
Scalpel
Brain spoon
Boring knife
Sharpening steel
Skinning knife
Smooth brush
Linen thread
Assorted pins
Syringe
Dividers
Stuffing stick
Chemicals and materials
To dry skin: Magnesium chloride
To clean skin: Scalp detergent or petrol
To preserve skin: use borax powder, salt, alum, alcohol, carbolic acid, ash, camphor.
To cast forms: plaster of Paris (POP)
To bleach the skull: use magnesium carbonate
To preserve the skin: use naphthalene.