KUALA LUMPUR: Muzium Negara has the potential to be a major contributor in regenerating the country's economy.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said it was her ministry's intention to ensure that the industry recovers and moves on along with its "Coming Back Stronger" slogan.
"Many tourism activities have begun operations physically and have begun attracting crowds.
"I believe the various initiatives being put in place will offer diversity and variation to the national tourism products.
"Museums, too, play a role in providing beneficial knowledge of the country based on history, culture and nature.
"As such, we will ensure that museum programmes will return following the lull in activities owing to the lockdown from the Covid-19 pandemic," she said at the launch of the "Magic of Taxidermy: Eternal Life" exhibition and campaign to donate collections for artifacts at Muzium Negara.
Present were ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Noor Zari Hamat, his deputy (Culture) Saraya Arbi and National Museum Department director-general Datuk Kamarul Baharin A. Kasim.
Nancy said that following the Covid-19 pandemic, the museum sector experienced a 70 per cent dip in attendance of visitors from last year to date.
The National Museums Department recorded 241,909 visitors at all 22 museums nationwide, from January till last month, compared with 2.782 million for 2019 and 2.353 million the previous year.
Thus far, it resulted in the collection of RM3.7 million in the sale of entry tickets and journals, and rental of exhibition space for 2019, as compared with RM2.6 million for 2018.
At the exhibition, to run until March 18, 126 preserved fauna were displayed for education and research.
It included a 120-year-old Sumateran rhinoceros, preserved by taxidermist E.J. Keilich from the Perak Museum, which had become extinct in the country.
Another highlight was a male parrot that was preserved from 1963.
Also displayed were 36 species of mammals, seven reptiles, 54 avian, five amphibians, eight fish, one Asian elephant and 16 skeletons from the 1960s.
Nancy said almost every country in the world had a natural history museum to exhibit and educate society on the variety of fauna and flora in their country.
She said despite efforts since 1989, Malaysia had yet to establish such a museum unlike Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
"The uniqueness of preserved fauna is that it can be continue to be exhibited over the years, thanks to the trained taxidermists and museum conservator," she said.
Meanwhile, Kamarul Baharin said the museum took the initiative to organise the exhibition following great interest in the history and development of taxidermy in the country.
"The application of taxidermy knowledge permits dead organisms to be preserved so that its evolution can be studied and researched.
"We hope the exhibition will attract society to value the art of taxidermy, apart from appreciating the preservation of the national fauna treasures," he said, adding that about 20,000 were expected to visit the exhibition.
The national museum is also striving to safeguard the historical, cultural and natural collections which have risks of being stolen or damaged.