Quagga & Dodo – Endangered and Extinct

Description

Since its origins in the 18th century, the Natural History Museum of Basel has continuously collected specimens of animal species that have since disappeared from nature during expeditions. Thanks to the professional preservation of objects in our "archives of life," it is possible to display original objects of species that are now extinct or highly threatened in the permanent exhibition. The exhibition explains why many animal species that populated our planet for a very long time have become extinct over the past 400 years. Clear differences are shown between natural extinction and human-influenced extinction. But Quagga & Dodo also addresses the efforts of organizations dedicated to species protection. In addition to many threatened species, we present preparations of more than twenty species that have already disappeared. Among them, you can see the quagga, a zebra species that was still common in the early 19th century in southern Africa. The quagga was exterminated because it was considered a competitor to cattle breeders. Today, only 24 objects of this animal species remain in the world. They are distributed across museums worldwide. Similarly, the dodo, a flightless bird species that only existed on Mauritius, can unfortunately only be admired in the form of partial preparations or reconstructions in museums. It went extinct at the end of the 17th century. The exhibition's concept is based on the idea of collection rooms, the "archives of life." Note: This text was translated by an automatic translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.

Highlights

• Exhibition on extinct and threatened species
• Presentation of unique specimens like the quagga and the dodo
• Exploration of causes of extinction and conservation efforts

General Information

The "Quagga & Dodo" exhibition at the Basel Natural History Museum highlights extinct and threatened animal species. It features original objects and reconstructions, while also addressing species protection efforts.

Location

Augustinergasse 2, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

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