News at the Smithsonian

It's been many years since I visited the Smithsonian Institute http://www.mnh.si.edu/ but to this day, I remember being completely enthralled and impressed with everything I saw!

I remember standing in the portrait gallery looking up at a beautiful Impressionist painting and being totally mesmerized by the sheer size of the canvas.

There's so much to see at the Institute and in November 2003, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is preparing to open a new exhibit featuring 274 animals.

The exhibit is the largest project of this size to be attempted in nearly 80 years. It has already taken the team of taxidermists nearly two years to complete all the necessary preparation.

The new section of the museum is devoted to mammals and features both endangered and protected wildlife.

This whole project was brought about, five years ago, when Kenneth E. Behring donated $20-million dollars to the museum to be used for renovations of the mammal's exhibits. http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/mammals/

Some of the specimens have been in place for 80 years including a white rhinoceros shot by Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. There's also a resident Bengal tiger and hippo who've been on exhibit since the 1930's.

The new Natural History mammal hall encompasses 25,000-square feet and is, by far, one of the largest areas in the museum.

There will be specimens from many parts of the world. Some were donated from animal parks and preserves, zoos and research facilities. Some specimens, like the leopard and jackal from Mr. Behring, were donated from private collections.

There's quite an impressive list of animals being readied by the experts including koala bears from Australia, giant pandas, African buffalo, American Bison, walrus and black-footed ferret, just to name a few. There will be smaller animals on display such as the Colobus monkey. Check this link for more info: http://206.252.132.159/congo-meet-okapi

A Russian brown bear that stands 8-feet tall will also be on display along with a Russian wild boar and Russian moose. I found a picture of this beautiful animal at this site: http://www2.ic.edu/Cochran/ClassPages/20...

I definitely would not want to run across this guy anywhere!

One of the most special specimens will be that of the very elusive Okapi. This mammal is native to Zaire and was discovered in 1901. Not many people have had the opportunity to see an Okapi, ever, so this will be quite an experience for those who visit the museum.

For more information and pictures of the Okapi, please visit these links: http://www.danger-island.com/true/mokapi... and http://206.252.132.159/congo-meet-okapi

I hope you've enjoyed this bit of "wildlife" in the news.

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