Students, alumni and community members share what the Museum of Natural History has done for them and the benefits of its existence on campus
Wolves, tigers and bears, oh my! BYU–Hawaii's Museum of Natural History has every animal native to North America, said Phillip Bruner, an associate professor in the Faculty of Sciences and the man behind the making of the museum. Although the museum focuses on North America and not on Polynesia and Asia, students who work at the museum said it helps fulfill the purpose of BYU–Hawaii by facilitating learning for students, faculty and the community.
The impact of the museum
Magical and scary is how Josh Costales described the museum the first time he visited it. A junior from the Philippines studying marine biology, he has worked at the museum for the past two years. “My favorite part and the reason why I started here is the skeletonizing,” said Costales. According to Bruner, skeletonizing is the process of taking apart a deceased animal and putting the bones back together to form a complete skeleton that can be put on display.
“Before I came here to my dream school,” said Costales, “I studied veterinary medicine back in the Philippines.” Being able to skeletonize and study animals at the museum has been immensely beneficial in his path to becoming a veterinarian, he said.
Costales is not alone in being helped along his career path by the museum. Mersadies Morgan, a senior from Idaho studying biology, said alumni have gotten jobs because they worked at the museum. She said she plans to go to medical school and has benefitted from the research and skills she has learned while working at the museum. “I don’t think that has been discussed or noticed,” she said about the decision to tear down the museum without intent to replace it.
Morgan put together a petition to help save the museum. The 525 who have so far signed explained what the museum means to them. A few of them say:
“The museum is a special space for learning and students appreciate having it so close,” said Andrea from the Cook Islands.
“I love the museum! It’s like stepping into a different world and I learn so much every time I’m there,” said Jemima from Fiji.
“The BYUH Museum of Natural History was the first job I had while attending at BYUH. It was such a great place to learn about the local animal species that I did not know about. It was an educational opportunity for me to be there as an employee,” said Airi from Japan.
“I’m a 4th grade teacher at Laie Elementary. Multiple grades go to that museum for field trips. It’s easy to walk to. Buses are so expensive now, so we aren’t able to take students to other museums like this. Hundreds of kids a year will lose the opportunity to learn,” said Hailey from Hauula.
“I visited this museum when I was 5 for a field trip, and again in middle school and once more in high school. I now bring my own kids and nieces and nephews too,” said Jade from Laie.
“Coming from Samoa, I never got to see anything beautiful like this. I remember [after] seeing it for the first time, I was filled with joy and felt like my childhood dreams of seeing animals in a zoo came true. I found out about the museum on my own when it was raining one day. Waiting to go to my hale, I saw the door and went in,” said Riverlina from Samoa.
“I have seen animals I've never seen before,” said Chantica from Papua New Guinea.
“There is a rich history told through animals and I think it would be unfair to remove the museum to satisfy the need for more classrooms. It is a learning hub for our generation and many to come,” said Sabrina from Australia.
An unbearable treasure
“We have a polar bear, which is without question the hardest thing to get because they are a protected species,” said Bruner.
The polar bear at BYUH’s Museum of Natural History is the property of the federal government, explained Bruner. The man who shot the bear did not have the appropriate permits, so it was taken away from him and he was sent to jail. The government, not wanting to waste it, called a taxidermist. Bruner said he filled out the proper permits to be able to display the bear.
Bruner said he was talking to a friend who had tagged a polar bear once and followed it while it swam for over 150 miles in one go. It only stopped swimming because ice got in the way, said Brunner, remarking on these incredible animals.
Morgan said student in an elementary school class that was studying arctic animals recently visited the museum. “I had no idea it was this big!” she said were the children's reactions to seeing the bear.
Bruner explained the polar bear, like many of the other animals at the museum, cannot be thrown away because of legal issues, especially since many of their animals are endangered and one of the skulls they have is from an extinct steppe bison. With the school’s plans to tear down and rebuild the McKay building, Bruner said nobody thought about what to do with all the animals.
Aloha aina
The only land mammal native to Hawaii is the Hawaiian hoary bat, said Bruner, pointing to the one at the museum. The nene goose, the state bird of Hawaii, is in the same display. The nene is endangered, explained Bruner, and Hawaii leads the world in endangered species per capital. “They are all hanging on at the ridges and tops of mountains,” he said. His former students are now working in conservation efforts, he shared
“We all know there are people who couldn’t care less about living things,” said Bruner. He shared he is trying to reach those who do care but just don’t know that they do. Morgan said studying endangered species has taught her a lot about the value of stewardship and aloha aina or love of the land.