Bogor Zoology Museum

Bogor - After a long, refreshing walk around the lush Bogor Botanical Gardens, I ended my day at the Bogor Zoology Museum, a fascinating space filled with stories of science, colonial history, and Indonesia’s incredible biodiversity.  

The Bogor Zoology Museum, or Museum Zoologi Bogor, is located just beside the main entrance of the Botanical Gardens, making it an easy last stop after exploring the greenery. The museum has an illustrious history that dates back to 1894, when it was founded during the Dutch East Indies colonial era.

It was Dr. J.C. Koningsberger, a Dutch botanist and zoologist, who first established the museum in August of that year. Originally, it began as a small laboratory in the corner of the Botanical Gardens—then called Lands Plantentuin. Over time, it grew in both size and importance, becoming a center for zoological research in Southeast Asia. Today, it covers 1,500 square meters and houses one of the most extensive collections of fauna specimens in Asia.

Walking through the museum, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of how knowledge and curiosity bridged centuries.  It started as a colonial laboratory has now become an invaluable educational and cultural treasure for Indonesia.

Inside the Collections

The Bogor Zoology Museum is divided into 24 rooms, all carefully maintained at 22 degrees Celsius to preserve its delicate specimens. The range of collections is nothing short of impressive:

• Insects: Over 12,000 species and 2.58 million specimens, neatly displayed in glass cases. From colorful butterflies to beetles, the sheer diversity is astonishing.

• Mammals: Around 650 species with 30,000 specimens, ranging from small rodents to larger animals that showcase Indonesia’s diverse habitats.

• Poultry (Birds): About 1,000 species and 30,762 specimens, reflecting the archipelago’s reputation as a birdwatcher’s paradise.

• Reptiles and Amphibians: 763 species and nearly 20,000 specimens, including snakes, lizards, and frogs that represent the tropical rainforests.

• Mollusks: Nearly 13,146 specimens of shells and other sea creatures.

• Invertebrates: More than 15,558 specimens, capturing the often-overlooked diversity of marine and terrestrial life.

The most breathtaking exhibit, however, is the blue whale skeleton. Stretched across the hall, this massive skeleton is the largest of its kind in Indonesia. Standing before it, I felt both humbled and awed, it was a stark reminder of the grandeur of life beneath the ocean’s surface.