Opening of a Museum at the Dehiwala Zoo

There was a possibility that the country, let alone Dehiwala, would not have been provided with this beautiful zoological garden, which can even stand against the travelling circus of the famous European Entrepreneur John Haggin.

The National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwela which today spans an area of 23 acres comprised of eleven acres when it was taken over by the government in 1936.

In the early 1930s five acres of this land was purchased by John Haggin as a temporary shelter for animals purchased by Europe's No. 1 animal trader at the time, who was incidentally Haggin's brother.

This land which started out as a temporary shelter for animals that were being traded stands today as the National Zoological Gardens, with a proud history of 77 years.

Zoos across the world at present, have gone beyond being places of entertainment for the public, and now render valuable service to mankind's understanding of the animal kingdom, by diversifying into scientific research.

Some Zoos also put on display for the public the skeletal remains of animals that used to be housed at the Zoo, ensuring that these creatures are not forgotten by future generations.

In 2006, with the Dehiwala Zoo celebrating its 70th anniversary, a Museum was established within the Zoo premises for this very purpose.

The officer who was appointed as the curator of the museum, clarified plans for the museum on January 18, 2011.
“We have almost completed work and within the next few months Sri Lankans and foreigners too will be able to visit this museum."

However, the official website of the National Zoological Gardens noted that the Museum would be open to the public from June 26, 2010, eleven days prior to the supposed opening.

When Action TV reported on the matter at the time, the Education Officer of the National Zoological Gardens noted that 70 percent of the work on preparing exhibits had been completed.

At that time close to Rs.10 million  had been spent on the construction of the air-conditioned building alone.

The bones of a whale which were brought outside to be prepared for display inside this building, can still be seen, being bleached by the sun. The responsibility of opening this Museum to the public also appears to have died and thereby its skeleton too should be found.

Minister of Botanical Gardens and Public Recreation, this is over to you.