The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls has been the center of discussion after its large, decades-old taxidermied animal collection on display at the Delbridge Museum of Natural History tested positive for various levels of arsenic.
Arsenic is a chemical element and a notoriously toxic heavy metal. Consuming large amounts of this substance can be fatal, while even small amounts can lead to nausea, vomiting, irregular heart rhythms, and possible damage to blood vessels.
The Great Plains Zoo was opened on June 30, 1963, by its original owners, the ZSSF, the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department, and several other zoological consultants. Its purpose was to educate, conserve, discover, and provide recreation for the community.
Currently, the museum and its taxidermy do not hold a strong draw for visitors compared to the rest of the museum and the zoo. “I think at one point in time it probably did, “ said CEO of Great Plains Zoo, Becky Dewitz, “but not today.”
Sioux Falls City councilors held a press conference Tuesday declaring the Delbridge Museum permanently closed to the public and that the collection of taxidermied animals be donated.
According to Dakota News Now, “the majority of the collection would go to the University of Notre Dame with smaller amounts going to institutions in Georgia and New Jersey. The mounts would be gifted, not sold, to the organizations.”
Those supporting the move have stated barriers are already in place of the displays, and there shouldn’t be a significant problem even after the toxin was detected. However, even with the barriers, people will still reach out to touch the mounts, some even going over the railings to get a close-up picture. There have been many ideas on how to handle this situation, one idea from the city would be to add glass barriers around the mounts, but it would cost a predicted amount of $4.2 million. With the museum not receiving many visits, spending that much money on the display cases becomes unnecessary.
Some of the public has been growing frustrated with the announcement that the collection is to be moved and donated to the University of Notre Dame. Sioux Falls businessman Henry Brockhouse hunted most of the animals in the collection. The Delbridge Museum of Natural History was built around Brockhouse’s collection of taxidermied animals donated to Sioux Falls by his friend, C.J. Delbridge in 1978 following Brockhouse’s death.
The zoo’s final plans for the newly available space from the empty museum are still under discussion. A quote from the Great Plains Zoo, “Master planning is underway, and GPZ plans to share the vision for the next chapter in the near future – including a state-of-the-art aquarium experience.”
Source Links:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/29/us/delbridge-museum-taxidermy-animals-arsenic-cec/index.html
https://www.greatzoo.org/delbridge-museum-closes/
https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-sioux-falls-museum-animals-a3f5a70385d88be6c227afe6404de458
