This natural-science museum at La Salle University uses the science of taxidermy to preserve and promote Colombia’s rich biodiversity. The three floors of permanent exhibitions are composed of skilfully 'stuffed' species, including a giant Andean condor, the largest flying bird in the world. Other exhibitions include a paleontology display of millions-of-years-old fossils and minerals, and primates.
The museum’s history dates back to when men from the Brothers of Christian Schools, a religious order founded in 17th-century France, arrived in Colombia with the intention of investigating, collecting, and recording Colombia’s immense flora and fauna. The museum was opened to the public in 1904 but suffered a terrible loss in 1948 during the Bogotazo, a period of violence that arose when popular liberal politician, Jorge Gaitán, was murdered. Downtown Bogotá was utterly destroyed, leaving the museum devoid of years of research (55,000 specimen were lost). Today, the museum has recovered its loss and is about to undergo a widespread renovation at time of writing.
