A game trophy made from a caribou's head. Photo / Karen Hughes
A game trophy made from a caribou's head. Photo / Karen Hughes
A popular exhibition of animals at Whanganui Regional Museum will close at the end of this month.
Teeth, Talons and Taxidermy is an exhibition of selected items from the thousands of zoological objects that are held in the museum collection, including historically and scientifically significant specimens across a range of mammals, birds, and reptiles.
Designed specifically with children in mind, the exhibition opened in July 2020 and was scheduled to be open for a year. However, unprecedented demand has seen the show remaining open for a further 18 months beyond that first year.
Senior curator Libby Sharpe says the exhibition features animals from all around the world, including rare creatures such as the extinct Tasmanian tiger, a snow leopard from Asia, and penguins from Antarctica.
“I’ve always thought that in this day and age, our natural history collections are under-utilised. We had all these animals in storage, and I thought about displaying them within a framework of information and indications of conservation, but making them newly accessible. The last time they would have been on display would have been back in the 1950s and ‘60s.
“We wanted to encourage our junior audiences to think about why are these items are here, and what they can teach us. The exhibition has been a wonderful platform to open up discussion about biodiversity, extinction, and the impact of humans on animals around the world.”
Museum educator Margie Beautrais said that children of all ages have enjoyed the exhibition through preschool and school visits, and holiday programmes.
“It has been great. Every school group that comes into the museum, no matter what topic they’ve come in for, the kids always want to go into that exhibition. It’s a complete magnet for kids. Kids love animals.”
The exhibition provides information about endangered species and their habitats, and even their waste. Margie’s hand-crafted animal “poo” models, made out of clay and glue and paint, have been a huge hit: “The kids may have different favourite animals, but they are all fascinated by the poo.”
Visitor services host Junette Ward confirms that the exhibition has hit the right mark with its intended audience.
“Children squeal with delight at the animals, and especially the poo. They just think it’s hilarious. Many children have visited with their school, and then have come back for a second or third time and brought their grandparents.
“When the exhibition finishes, I will miss the excited children, and the way the children have reacted to it. It has been a fun space for them to go to.”
Beautrais agrees that when children are viewing Teeth, Talons, and Taxidermy, “there is a lot of excited shrieking and chatter and laughing”.
“It has been lovely having it here. There are two things that are the highlight of children’s museum visits; one is going into the Māori court, and the other is Teeth, Talons and Taxidermy. Those are the two big things that they enjoy the most.”
The animal exhibition will be dismantled to make way for a touring exhibition of artworks from the Kiingi Tūheitia Portraiture Award, a competition that encourages emerging Māori artists to create portraits of their tūpuna [ancestors] in any medium. It is hosted, toured and administered by the New Zealand Portrait Gallery/Te Pūkenga Whakaata.
Teeth, Talons, and Taxidermy has been a huge success, and Whanganui Regional Museum acknowledges the support from Arthur Wheeler Leedstown Trust and Paua Print, Whanganui. The final day for viewing is Sunday, January 29.
