Impala Trophy Head – A Conservation Treatment Summary

Written by Greta Kelly, Conservation Practice MSc Student at Cardiff University.

During my studies on the Conservation Practice MSc at Cardiff University I had the opportunity to do a placement with the natural science conservation department at Museums NI. As part of this I assisted in an ongoing project to conserve and stabilise a number of trophy heads in the museums stores. The trophy head that I worked on was an impala skull, mounted on a wooden shield, dated to the 1930s.

Before beginning any conservation, I carried out a condition assessment of the skull and shield, to determine what treatment would be needed. The skull was generally in good condition, with no identifiable breakages or loss. The teeth while still in their sockets, were loose, and there was slight delamination at the base of the right horn. There was extensive surface dirt on the teeth, horns and skull, including inside the skull.

Before cleaning images of the impala skull. Image credit: Greta Kelly

The wooden shield was in good condition, with just some surface dirt. However the two metal hooks which looped through the zygomatic arches to hold the skull in place, were not providing sufficient support, allowing the skull to move about on the shield and putting it at risk of damage.

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Collaborating with External Partners to address Colonial Legacies and Challenge the Secondary School Curriculum in Liverpool.

Written by Olivia Beavers, National Museums Liverpool, World Museum & Sonal Mistry, Freelance Scientific Illustrator.

Just over a year ago, Sonal approached me with a request to access the vertebrate zoology collection for her Master’s thesis, which explored scientific illustration through natural science specimens. Collaborating with Sonal has helped the vertebrate zoology department to address colonial legacies and provide more context to the collections through thoughtful scientific illustration.

Olivia – World Museum

World Museum’s vertebrate zoology collection has a historic relationship between artists and specimens. Edward Lear and John Gould were just two of many illustrators who sketched and painted specimens within the 13th Earl of Derby’s zoology collection.

With so many specimens stored behind the scenes and many untold stories of collectors and colonial legacies to be explored, curators are often considering new ways to get this information across to the public. Sonal contacted the museum as a Masters illustration student asking to collaborate with the vertebrate zoology department for her thesis. I supervised Sonal’s Master’s illustration thesis project, where she produced scientific illustrations to help improve the interpretation of vertebrate zoology specimens on display. After an initial walk around the gallery with Sonal, I handed out some questionnaires to gain a sense of the public’s opinions of the information that was already available. Sonal and I went through the different illustration styles and worked through which styles would be best suited to our audience for each topic. One of the recurring points that we noticed from the questionnaires was a plea for more information for older visitors and more colour.

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NatSCA Digital Digest – July 2026

Compiled by Milo Phillips, Digitisation Co-ordinator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Welcome to the July edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.

A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.

Sector News

Call for Abstracts – GCG Winter Seminar – Unnatural Disaster: fighting back against the steady erosion of geological collections

Despite their clear public popularity, the future of geological collections, as well as that of the people and institutions who care for them, feels constantly under threat. The 2026 GCG Winter Seminar will serve as a ‘call to arms’ for those in our community to present on and discuss the public and scientific benefits of our collections.

The Winter Seminar and AGM will take place on the 18th November 2026 at Manchester Museum. A fieldtrip to the Peak District (max. capacity 20) and tours of the Manchester Museum collections (max. capacity 10) will take place on19th November.

The deadline for abstracts is the 31st of July 2026. Find more information here.

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Twisted Tales of Gallery Oldham’s Collection of Fish Casts

Written by Patricia Francis, Natural History Curator, Gallery Oldham. 

So, what’s a fish cast? Fish are particularly difficult creatures to preserve. Fish taxidermy is tricky as even a freshly dead specimen rapidly loses it colour and can quickly start to decay. Fish skin is thin and tears easily and obtaining the work of an experienced fish taxidermist is very expensive while fluid preservation involves the use of chemicals which alter the skin colouration.

Dace (1932-54 )

Modelling or casting is often chosen as an alternative way to represent the animal rather than using the actual fish skin as taxidermy does. A cast now might be made using a resin but historically plaster has been used. Then comes the clever bit, accurate painting of the cast to appear like the living animal.

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The Okapi: Biology, Conservation, and Why this Elusive Species matters to Collections

Written by Emma Winnard, Sixth form student studying A-level Biology, Chemistry, and Geology, with a strong interest in zoology, botany, and museum collections.

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is one of the most distinctive large mammals in the world, yet it remains one of the least well understood. Endemic to the dense tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the okapi occupies an ecological niche that is both geographically restricted and extremely difficult to study directly. As a result, much of what we know about the species has been built not only from limited field observations, but also from museum specimens, archival records, and associated botanical and habitat material held in natural science collections.

This is what makes the okapi such a useful example for thinking about collections. When an animal is rarely seen, difficult to survey, and increasingly threatened, preserved specimens and older records can become far more than historical curiosities.

A pair of okapi in a lush forest setting. The species’ striped legs and dark coat help break up its outline in the dappled light of dense forest habitat.
© Photo by Brett Aukburg, via Pexels. Pexels Licence.

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