Moving animal exhibits a challenge
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

NOT MOBILE : This rhinocerous, one of many mounted large animals, would be difficult and expensive to move and store when renovations take place at the city's Civic Center, which also houses the city's natural history museum. L-N File Photo

A rhinoceros doesn't simply hop in the back seat and go for a ride - neither does a polar bear or a musk ox - so the El Campo Museum of Natural History isn't quite sure how, or even if, its animal display mounts will be moved during the upcoming civic center renovation.

A move to a climate-controlled storage site (likely in Houston or Victoria) or a way to shelter in place may be the only choices on how to address the $1 million collection of mainly rare and impossible-to-replace trophies.

"It sounds frightening," Museum Director Cheri McGuirk said Thursday. "Taking out, moving an 11-foot rhinoceros is not a good thing."

The El Campo Civic Center is scheduled to undergo a major floor-to-roof renovation from August to October of next year (please see related story).

That's likely going to equal a five- to six-month shut down for the museum, McGuirk said.

"And the summer is our busiest time," she added. "It really puts a cramp on the museum."

With current timelines, Mc- Guirk says the facility would likely have to be shut down at least 30 days before and after the work window.

"It's going to hurt our bottom line," she said. "Six months without donations (or gift shop sales) will really hurt."

The museum staff and directors are examining ways to cope with the animals and a roof exposure.

Crating in place is one option, McGuirk said, so long as the museum is only exposed and non-climate controlled for a short period of time.

"They only have to be protected during the roofing process," she said. "There are other options rather than moving at great expense."

Following the El Campo City Council meeting Tuesday, Community Service Director Leonard Sternadel began contacting professional services.

No cost estimates are available at this point, he said, but Sternadel anticipated the cost to be high.

Renovation designers RWS Architects will not be addressing the animals.

"Our liability insurance won't let us touch those animals," Architect Malcolm Gaus said.

The animals are owned by the city and cared for by the museum society.

"These are very fragile," City Manager John Steelman said. "This is going to be a major ordeal."

Everything from dust and falling debris to weather conditions and pests can affect the animal displays.

"The big concern is the temperature and humidity for the animals," McGuirk said. "If it is only a week, I think they will be okay (crated in place). If it's two months, that might be a problem."

The museum wants to have its contracted taxidermist consult on all decisions.

The museum has 15 to 20 large animal mounts which are permanently affixed to the concrete floors.

"The animals are insured, but if something happens to them, they can't be replaced," McGuirk said.

Most of the museum trophies, originally the private collection of Dr. E.A. Weinheimer, were taken between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s, the museum director said, adding changes in hunting as well as import/export laws make it impossible to obtain new samples.

A new roof and updated flooring and air-conditioning is worth the hassle, however, Mc- Guirk said.