KARACHI, Aug 3: The induction of around 15 stuffed animals to the Karachi Zoo’s museum has been delayed for five months owing to non-payment by the administration. Sources said that the Zoological Garden had given the skins of around 15 animals for stuffing to a taxidermist during the past two years. These exhibits, which included a bear, a spotted deer, a pair of white and blue peacocks and a jackal, have been lying ready with the contractor for five months but the administration is reluctant to collect the order.

According to a zoo official, the contractor has also not been paid his past dues for an order of 13 stuffed animals placed three years ago.

“The man does the zoo’s work out of sheer love for his profession and also because he is unable to make both ends meet with the work that has lost its charm over the years,” a zoo official said, adding that despite the delays in payment, the contractor had to transport the order to the zoo as he couldn’t keep the stock for long.

About the preference in animal stuffing, he said that the skins of only those animals were used for exhibits which were big in size, unique and were not already part of the museum’s collection. Animals which didn’t fit the criteria were buried at the zoo.

To a question why Anarkali, the popular elephant, was not considered for this purpose, he said if the zoo administration had shown willingness, Anarkali, too, could have been “immortalised” through taxidermy.

He also said that consignments to the taxidermist often got delayed for post-mortem or other reasons, due to which the skin texture damages and the skin starts losing hair.

No refrigeration at zoo

“The zoo is devoid of any refrigeration facility to keep the skins. There used to be four refrigerators at the zoo, but they have all been lying out of order for years. One can afford to keep a skin for two days in winter, but in summer, the skin starts rotting in two hours,” he said.

That is perhaps the reason why many a museum exhibit lacks hair at many parts of its body and does not have the right skin texture, apart from having other deficiencies. Prominent among them is a spotless spotted deer and an antelope with reduced hair and small holes over its body.

“This is also because of the straw used for stuffing the zoo exhibits.

Though it is a lot cheaper as compared to other methods, it’s hard to give a natural look with straw stuffing that starts decaying in two to three years,” points out a taxidermist who had worked for the zoo.

At present, over 130 exhibits, which include mammals, reptiles and a large number of birds, are displayed at the museum.