Osteology Museum in Jelgava Holds a Collection of Animal Skeletons Over 100 Years Old
The Osteology Museum at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies' Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Jelgava displays skeletons of both local and exotic animals, and is open to visitors by prior arrangement.
The Osteology Museum, located at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Jelgava, was established in 1919 alongside the faculty in Riga. In 1964, the faculty and the museum collection were moved to Jelgava. The museum's collection comprises over 200 specimens, including the oldest: an aurochs skull with horns dating to the 1st–2nd millennium BCE.
Museum director, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and docent Astra Ārne, explains that the collection originally focused on skeletons of animals found in Latvia, but later expanded to include exotic species through cooperation with Riga Zoo. Among the most unusual exhibits are a whale skeleton washed ashore near Skulte, as well as skeletons of a polar bear, giraffe, turtle, and kangaroo.
One remarkable story involves circus elephants that were sent to Riga Zoo during World War I; due to inability to feed them, they were euthanized. One skeleton came to the museum, the other to the University of Latvia. Another exhibit is a hippopotamus skull from an animal that died after swallowing a tennis ball.
The museum primarily serves as a teaching and research resource for veterinary students studying animal anatomy. However, it is also open to the public – school groups and other interested individuals can visit by prior arrangement by phone. During Museum Night 2023, nearly 500 people visited the museum.
Ārne notes that in recent years, new animal species have been recorded in Latvia, such as the golden jackal and red-eared sliders that can survive in the wild. However, no mammal species has become extinct in Latvia.
The museum does not currently have a human skeleton, but having one would aid comparative studies. Part of the collection, including thirteen skeletons, has been deposited at the Latvian National Museum of Natural History. The museum also collaborates with the New Riga Theatre and art projects, using its exhibits in performances and exhibitions.
