The Grant Museum Undertake Conservation Work On Historic Taxidermy Collection

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 17: A long eared owl is pictured at UCL's (University College London) Grant Museum of Zoology on July 17, 2017 in London, England. Conservation work has been undertaken on the owl, in particular to it's eyes that were wonky and ears that had been pointing down instead of up. The owl is a recent acqisition for the museum from HM Customs and Excise who had confiscated it from someone in contravention of wildlife legislation. The Grant Museum of Zoology was founded in 1892 and is London's only remaining university zoological museum, housing around 68,000 specimens from across the Animal Kingdom. The museum is currently embarking on a project to conserve and repair some of their historic taxidermy, which has been on display for over a hundred years. Many of the specimens have begun to crack and split, with filling and stuffing required to ensure their long-term future. Expert museum conservators have selected several pieces ranging in size from a chimpanzee to an elephant shrew. Careful consideration is given to every piece regarding retaining any 'historical' inaccuracies in the animals' appearance. Historically taxidermy is often quite inacurate, with skins often sent from overseas, and 'stuffed' or prepared by people who had never even seen the animal. The most famous example being the huge Walrus at the Horniman Museum in South West London. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)