Inordinate procrastination has landed Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) into dire straits as the management finds it increasingly difficult to preserve important objects for posterity. As per details, the management of PMNH took up the ambitious project of stuffing and displaying of Saheli, a female elephant which died at Marghazar Zoo, and a whale shark found dead at Karachi shore, but soon had to abandon the project in the absence of required funding.
The skeletons of both animals as well as stuffed body of the female elephant were scheduled to be displayed at the museum in June this year.
“We are facing funds shortage to execute both projects as the government has slashed museum’s budget by 20 percent,” Director of the Museum Dr Rafiq said.
He said the administration was in search of funding from any organization as the people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi had been awaiting the display of these carcasses as both would add to the attractions of the federal capital.
“We are in talks with UNESCO to provide funds for the projects. The display of shark’s skeleton would cost around Rs 0.7 million and Rs 0.4 million are required for that of the elephant,” Dr Rafiq said.
Meanwhile, skeleton of “Baluchitherium”, the largest land mammal in the world, resurrected at the Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) has become talk of the town as people from twin cities throng in large numbers to witness the relic of bygone era.
Baluchitherium is an extinct Rhinoceros and the largest land mammal that ever lived on the earth about 30 million years ago.
It is called Baluchitherium: “Baluchi” for Balochistan; “therium” for Beast. It literally means the “beast of Balochistan” and was named so because it was first discovered in the Bugti Hills Balochistan (ranging in age from 30 million years to 20 million years ago).
Giving details, DG PMNH Akhtar Javed said the average height of an adult Baluchitherium was estimated to have been 18 ft high at the shoulder.
He said fossils of this giant land mammal, Baluchitherium, were first discovered in the Bugti Hills in 1908, and included only a few foot bones.
However, the major discovery was made in 2000, when the joint team of palaeontologists from University of Montpellier, France and the Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Islamabad found almost complete skeleton of Baluchitherium from Chitarwata Formation, north of Sui in the Bugti Hills after a search of almost 3 years.
“This discovery of the largest land mammal has greatly increased the geological significance of our country for research in the field of palaeontology and has made Pakistan known to geoscientists and biologists all over the world,” he said.
DG PMNH said the museums throughout the world were playing an important role in public education through research, exhibitions, lectures, film shows, club activities, competitions and many such other programs.
Nowadays education through museums is being regarded as of indispensable importance, he said, adding in line with its functions, PMNH was striving hard for promotion of informal education through different means, mainly the visits of school and college students to the Museum Display Galleries.
