The Pakistan Museum of Natural History is facing a shortage of funds to display the carcasses of Saheli, a female elephant which died at the Margazar Zoo and a whale shark found dead at the Karachi shore under its preservation process.
The skeletons of both animals as well as the stuffed body of the female elephant were scheduled to be displayed at the museum this month as a four-month tanning period was almost over.
“We are facing funds shortage to execute both projects as the government has slashed the museum’s budget by 20 percent,” Museum Director Dr. Rafiq told agencies.
He said the administration was looking for funding from any organization as the people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi had been awaiting the display of these carcasses.
“We are in talk with UNESCO to provide funds for the projects. The display of the shark’s skeleton would cost around Rs 0.7 million and Rs 0.4 million are required for the elephant,” Dr Rafiq said.
The 15-tonne-heavy fish was moved to the natural history museum in February this year for preservation and keeping it as a national heritage.
The whale shark was a 40.1-foot long female and is said to be the second largest fish to be found in Pakistan as a 41.5-foot long whale shark was found off Karachi’s coast in 1947.
Saheli, the female elephant that had died on 1st May this year after a brief illness was also shifted where it had been buried to extract the fossils for preservation.
The museum administration had also decided to display the stuffed body of the female elephant inside the museum where an artificial habitat would also be made to give an impression that the animal was living in its natural habitat.
The museum’s director said the tanning of both dead bodies had been completed and the administration was just awaiting finances for the purpose.
Animal not respected even in death
