Zoology Museum reopens to visitors

ESKİŞEHİR

The ESOGÜ Zoology Museum, operating under Eskişehir Osmangazi University and recently granted “private museum” status by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, has reopened to visitors following a relocation and renovation process.

Now housed in the School of Foreign Languages building on the university’s Meşelik Campus, the museum was established to document and preserve Türkiye’s animal biodiversity while supporting scientific research.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kamil Çolak said the museum had been moved from its previous building, which was demolished due to earthquake-related concerns.

“Our academics worked diligently with their teams and have brought a remarkable museum to Eskişehir,” Çolak said, noting the importance of exhibiting specimens of endangered species and animals that are rarely encountered in nature today.

He added that the museum would serve not only university students but also younger visitors, with regular educational visits planned in cooperation with the Provincial Directorate of National Education.
Museum coordinator Hakan Çalışkan, a faculty member in the Department of Biology at ESOGÜ, said the museum has been operating since 2007 and began serving under its new private museum status after improvements to its physical facilities.

Çalışkan said the museum aims to promote Anatolia’s biological richness while raising awareness about the impact of global climate change on biodiversity.

The museum’s collection includes approximately 34,000 specimens, of which around 700 are displayed in exhibition halls.

“The exhibition area consists of three sections,” he said. “The first section is designed primarily for visitors, high school students and educational groups and has been adapted to their curriculum. In the other two halls, specimens are presented according to the complexity of animal groups. We have also prepared information cards linked to QR codes, allowing visitors to access detailed information through their smartphones or tablets.”

The museum features animal specimens from Eskişehir and various regions of Anatolia, including examples of the endangered Cinereous Vulture, one of the collection’s most notable attractions.
According to Çalışkan, 16 percent of the species displayed are classified as threatened.

The museum houses taxidermied animals, skeletal collections and biological materials preserved in liquid.

Among its unique exhibits is “Pento,” a horse that served for many years at ESOGÜ’s Mahmudiye Vocational School of Horse Breeding and is now displayed through both taxidermy and skeletal preparations.