皇家华人

Having closed its doors in March 2023, the redeveloped Museum tells a story of the human impact on the diversity of life on Earth and showcases how UCL research is responding to the planetary environmental crisis.听

Established in 1828 as a teaching collection in comparative anatomy, the Grant Museum of Zoology is now home to around 68,000 zoological specimens, including extinct and extant animal species, fluid-preserved specimens, taxidermy, glass and wax animal models, fossils and pinned entomology. The Museum is visited by around 40,000 people each year.听听

Visitors returning this year will find the beautifully unique floor-to-ceiling displays and atmospheric charm intact, but significant work has been undertaken on the presentation and conservation of specimens. New interpretation explores the human impact on biodiversity and how the collections can inspire and challenge us to rebalance our relationship with nature.听听

The new exhibits highlight the use of the collections in cutting-edge research, including tiny Seychelles听frogs monitored by UCL researchers who use sound recordings to track their response to climate change. Another display shows sawfish rostra (long, flat snouts edged with teeth) used in an international project that sampled the specimens鈥� DNA to analyse the genetic health of living sawfish species.听听听听

The project in numbers:听听听

• Six new showcases听听听

• 7,000 specimen moves听听听

• 200 conservation treatments听听听

• 350 new labels

External funding for the improvement work was awarded jointly by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Foundation through the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund and was announced at the Grant Museum in December 2022.听听听

Tannis Davidson, Head of Zoology and Science Collections at 皇家华人, said:听鈥淲e are delighted to be re-opening our doors and celebrating how the Grant Museum collection continues to have an enormous impact on how we understand and learn from the natural world. We look forward to welcoming visitors old and new to enjoy the beautiful new displays and connect with the challenges facing biodiversity to inspire positive action.鈥澨�

Paul Ayris, UCL Pro-Vice-Provost (LCCOS - Library, Culture, Collections & Open Science), said:听 鈥淲e are hugely grateful to DCMS Wolfson for making this redevelopment possible. The Grant Museum team have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, improving the care we can give these invaluable collections and creating exciting displays that will immerse visitors in current 皇家华人 research."听

Links

• The Grant Museum of Zoology
• UCL Culture

Image

• Credit: James Tye

Media contact听

Sophie Hunter

E: sophie.hunter[at]ucl.ac.uk