March 2014, mounted specimen at the Ecological Museum inside the zoo. Just visible to the right is one of four mounted pigmy hogs and to the left one of three mounted Chinese pangolins. The Ecological Museum displays a wide range of stuffed animals and skulls. I think these are mostly ex-zoo animals, but perhaps not all because there are three baby Gangetic dolphins in there as well. Other particularly interesting specimens included several clouded leopards and a marbled cat skin. I visited the museum at the end of my visit and the batteries on my small camera were at the end of their charge so I only managed one photo (this one). I could not get a photo of the racks of babies and foetuses in jars of preservative, amongst which were pigmy hoglets, baby golden and Nilgiri langurs, baby hog badgers, a rhino foetus, a two day old chimpanzee (born at the zoo in 1979), and also a rhino penis. Most of these seemed to have come from the zoo\'s collection over the years.
Shame you did not get a shot of the marbled cat skin, but as unusual species go, Hispid Hare is certainly one which is not often seen dead *or* alive - even in the native range!
I tried to get a photo of the marbled cat skin but every time I turned the camera on it just turned right off again. I was lucky I managed to get the hare photo when I did (and I'd rather have got the hare than the skin). It was actually the second marbled cat skin I've seen on the trip, the first being on the wall of a restaurant in Burma (but I did not have my camera with me). In the CZA census reports, the Jhargram Zoo in West Bengal is listed as having had four hispid hares in 2008-2009!
The taxidermist obviously didn't worry much about eye colour....Hispid hare videos, photos and facts - Caprolagus hispidus | ARKive
FYEO, … survey of pygmy hogs and hispid hare in Manas. Pygmy hog nests found to be more abundant than thought. Most encouragingly, in all camping locations - 17 - fecal pellet evidence of hispid hares was found. Link: 21 pygmy hog nests found in Manas National Park - The Hindu Incidentally, this survey was done between March 18 - 22. Does that ring a bell to you (like in or almost near your visit)?
