The Natural History Museum is set to be thrown open for the public following a total recavmp of the tourist attraction.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally inaugurate the renovated museum on January 7 through video-conference.
Minister for Ports, Museums, Archaeology and Archives Kadannappally Ramachandran, Minister for Forests, Animal Husbandry and Zoos K. Raju, Principal Secretary, Cultural Affairs (Archaeology, Archives and Museums) Venu V,. and Director of Museums and Zoos S. Abu, will speak on the occasion.
The 56-year-old museum, which functions alongside the Napier Museum and the Sree Chitra Art Gallery, will have a diverse collection of over 1,800 exhibits spread over eight galleries. These include stuffed animals, skeletons, and models of birds and animals, rocks and minerals.
Renovated at an outlay of ₹6.5 crore, the museum has been designed with a prime focus on propagating awareness regarding biodiversity conservation. The key attractions will include galleries that will showcase three-dimensional models of 19 extinct animals, and sensitise visitors on the geographical spread of animal species. Several touchscreen kiosks that have been lined up in the museum will enable visitors to access detailed information about the exhibits that have been showcased.
A repository comprising study specimens of 2,226 birds and several amphibians is also likely to enthuse researchers and nature aficionados alike.
Among the various other features of the fully air-conditioned museum, the facility has been equipped with disabled-friendly features including a stair lift, making it the first government institution in the State with such provisions.
