Target: Khalid Ali Al-Eisir, Minister of Culture and Information, Sudan
Goal: Secure a full investigation and protection measures after museum animals and irreplaceable specimens were killed, stolen or destroyed during armed conflict.
A catastrophic cultural and ecological loss has occurred after war damage devastated a historic natural history museum, stripping it of thousands of preserved animals, endangered reference specimens and living creatures once kept in its care. Cages were opened amid fighting, forcing surviving animals to flee into a dangerous environment where many may have died from hunger, thirst or violence. Others were suspected of being stolen or looted, leaving behind the near-total disappearance of a collection built over more than a century.
Officials described the destruction of thousands of taxidermied animals, hundreds of endangered scientific specimens and irreplaceable geological and biological records. Among the losses were rare fossil birds collected in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, an endangered giraffe subspecies, reptiles, venomous snakes, and an elderly crocodile that had lived in the museum for decades. Intense clashes prevented rescue efforts, leaving animals and historical collections exposed to damage, disappearance and possible deliberate killing.
Because institutions dedicated to biodiversity and scientific preservation serve humanity as a whole, any destruction or looting of protected animals and irreplaceable research collections demands transparent investigation and international accountability. Demand immediate protective action and recovery efforts to safeguard remaining heritage, prevent further losses and ensure responsibility for harm inflicted on defenseless animals and priceless scientific history.
PETITION LETTER:
Minister Khalid Ali Al-Eisir,
We write to express profound concern regarding reports that armed conflict devastated a national natural history museum, leading to the killing, disappearance or looting of live animals and irreplaceable preserved specimens. Surviving animals were forced from opened cages and may have died from starvation, thirst or violence, while rare scientific collections built across generations were destroyed or stolen.
The loss of endangered species, fossil records and long-preserved animals represents not only cruelty toward defenseless creatures but also the erasure of cultural and scientific heritage of global importance. Failed rescue attempts amid intense fighting left both animals and historical collections without protection or evacuation.
We respectfully urge your office to support a full independent investigation, pursue accountability for any parties responsible for destruction or looting and implement urgent safeguards to protect remaining cultural and biological heritage. Decisive action is essential to honor lost animals, preserve scientific history and prevent any recurrence of such devastation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Steve Evans
