Rare exhibition attracts tourists, foreigners

Kalpetta, Jul 31: An exhibition showcasing vast collection of eggs, in different colours, of rare and endangered species from various parts of the world was attracting the visitors, including foreign tourists and students in a Government Musuem here.

The exhibition, began last week, at College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Pookkot in this hilly district, included eggs of flightless Australian national bird Emu, known in scientic parlance as Dromaius Novaesollandiae and that of Ostrich or Struthiocamelus found in African deserts. Emu's egg in avacado green weighing half kg cost Rs 1,000 and that of Ostrich in creamy white colour weighing one-and-a-half kg cost Rs 5,000, John Abraham, Livestock Productions and Management Department of CVAS, coordinating the programme told

Revealing incumbation details, he said male bird usually do the process in Emu, which lay 25 eggs a year, while female bird sit for hatching during day and male in night in case of Ostrich, which give 60 eggs yearly.

Dr Abraham said another major attraction was 'an egg within an egg' formulated in ovi duct due to 'reverse peristalfis' and that of one cm egg of Japanese quail, he said. The others in the collection were eggs of Turkey fowl, Goose, duck, white leghorn, among others, he added.

Efforts were on to get eggs of Kiwi (Newsland) and blue-coloured egg of Auracana bird of Australia, he said adding the former would be added to the collection in a month.

He said the museum had to take special care to preserve and exhibit the rare collection from different continents.

Besides, the museum also exhibit pictures of different kinds of animals, depicting scientific details and place of origin, among other things, he said.

Stating that the exhibition would be open for visitors permanently, Dr Abraham said the intention of organisaing the show was to create awareness among the people and impart scientific details to the visitors, particularly children.

UNI