Giraffe in front of the Museum Antipa, shelled

The Giraffe in front of "Grigore Antipa" Museum in Bucharest , a statue that has become recently a symbol of this institution, was destroyed on the night of Saturday to Sunday, the Museum officials have told Mediafax .

"On the night of Saturday to Sunday, August 18, 2012, strangers have shelled the giraffe in front of the Museum" Grigore Antipa ".

It was the giraffe that walked on to the passage of the University within the project " Museum Antipa ... invading urban areas" and that which you encountered when you come to visit. We hope that in the future we have enough funds to restore ", shown on the official Facebook page of the Museum.

The police carries out checks in the case of the statue destruction following a report submitted Wednesday by representatives of the institution.

"Section 2 was notified today about the fact that an element of decoration in front of the Museum was vandalised. The operational group has gone there , which found that, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, unknown persons struck with contodent object the decor element, partially destroying it, "said Police spokesman, Alexandru Niculae.

According to police sources, the incident was captured by a surveillance camera in the area, but because it is located too far, the images may not be used.

Giraffe-made from a mix of foam and resin and with a height of 4.5 metres was first expounded in June last year at the University, to be then placed at the entrance of the Museum Antipa, after reopening it.

National Museum of Natural History "Grigore Antipa", was closed for renovation and modernization of the permanent exhibition in January 2009 and reopened on September 17 last year.

The current assets of the Museum consists of zoological collections, minerals and rocks, paleontological and ethnographic.

As a result of collections made by the specialists in the country and abroad, donations and acquisitions, the Museum's collections have grown continuously, so that at present they comprise more than 2 million pieces, of which about 2,000 are exhibited, notes Mediafax.


Translated by
Denisse-Meda Bucura