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CHATTOGRAM, Nov 13, 2025 (BSS) - The country's first skeleton museum, also known as the Anatomy Museum, has been established at Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU).
 
The museum's journey began in January 2017 on the ground floor of the Yusuf Chowdhury Bhaban, covering an area of 3,000 square feet. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a fascinating display of bones from various animals. Snakes, crocodiles, giraffes, camels, and elephants are just some of the creatures represent in the museum, creating a unique and educational experience for visitors.

The museum was established as part of the Higher Education and Quality Improvement Project of the University Grants Commission, funded by the World Bank. Professor Dr. Mohammad Lutfur Rahman, a teacher of the Department of Anatomy and Histology at CVASU and the current Vice-Chancellor, oversees the management of the museum. The department's teachers, officers, and employees have skillfully arranged approximately 60 skeletons of various animals in the museum. 
Additionally, the museum houses 30 staff (where the skin is separated from the bones of the animal, a new body is created, and then covered with skin again), around 500 preserved organs and 2,000 bones of various animals treated with chemical methods, 75 models of different animals, and 3,000 slides for educational purposes.

The stuffed animals in the museum range from roosters, hens, swans, pigeons, and woodpeckers to doves, owls, pheasants, quails, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, pythons, cobras, bats, and ducks. Additionally, the skeleton museum features human bodies, eyes, hearts, uterus, lungs, kidneys, breasts, DNA, and chromosomes of various animals like dogs, cats, pigs, cows, and chickens. Embryos of goats, pigs, and rabbits are also on display, all preserved with formalin.
A giraffe skeleton from the Bangladesh National Zoo is now on display at the museum entrance. The bones of the giraffe, which passed away in 2019, were carefully excavated six months after its burial. They were then transported to Chattogram, where they underwent preservation using various chemicals in the anatomy department. It took approximately one and a half years to meticulously piece together each bone to reconstruct the giraffe's body. The total cost for preserving and assembling the skeleton amounted to Tk 2.5 lakh. Remarkably, only Australia and the United States, besides Bangladesh, possess giraffe skeletons. This marks the third giraffe skeleton installation at CVASU.

The elephant skeleton was obtained from the Safari Park in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar, while the tall camel skeleton came from the Dhaka Zoo. The large python was found dead at Sitakunda Ecopark, and the skeleton of a big crocodile was brought from the crocodile breeding center in Bhaluka, Mymensingh. 

The concept of preserving animal bodies through stuffing was inspired by the mummies of ancient Egypt, although mummification and stuffing are distinct practices. During the Middle Ages, astrologers, apothecaries, and medical practitioners often used stuffed animals for various purposes.

In 1748, the Encyclopedia of Natural History in Rome, France, documented the preservation of birds through the stuffing method. This technique spread to countries like France, Germany, Denmark, and England, where animals, birds, aquatic creatures, and plants were preserved using this method. The Victorian era, starting in 1837, saw a surge in the popularity of stuffing as an art form. Homes were adorned with stuffed animals during this time.

 By 1851, a variety of stuffed birds were showcased at the Hyde Park Exhibition in London. In Sivas, animals are skinned, cleaned with chemicals similar to those used in tanneries, and then stuffed with cotton, rods, and GI wires. The walls are adorned with depictions of animal organs and systems, as well as portraits of notable scientists in the field of biology and zoology. 
The anatomy department is dedicated to expanding the collection of the skeleton museum.

Professor Dr. Mohammad Lutfur Rahman, the founder of the Skeleton Museum and Vice Chancellor of the university, shared with BSS, "The museum houses preserved organs of various domestic and wild animals, providing students with practical learning opportunities. Our primary goal is to educate students about the location, structure, characteristics, and functions of animal organs and systems. The recent addition of a giraffe skeleton has further enriched the museum.

By sparking interest in veterinary education among students in the country, the Skeleton Museum will contribute to the growth and advancement of this profession."

Khalilur Rahman, Senior Deputy Director of the Public Relations and Publications Department at Sivasu, informed BSS that the first anatomy museum in Bangladesh houses 300 skeletons and 200 models of animals and birds such as giraffes, elephants, horses, tigers, lions, and crocodiles. In addition to university students, science students from schools and colleges in Chittagong visit the museum as part of their academic purposes.