It is hard to remember Manila Zoo without Maali. She has been the zoo’s superstar for many decades. You’d be greeted by her welcoming and playful gestures whenever you entered the zoo during her lifetime.
Our memories of Manila Zoo will never be the same again, because Maali, its most iconic member, has passed.
Let’s find out how Maali will get immortalized for future generations.
MANILA ZOO RESIDENT
Vishwa Ma’ali, also known as Maali, was one of the most memorable members at the zoo. Aside from her massive size, she had a lovable personality, which was why guests of all ages were fond of her.
Her enclosure was situated near the zoo entrance, making it easy for everyone to see her when they entered the zoo. Visitors sometimes had the opportunity to feed her and interact with her. As a friendly zoo resident, she was accustomed to regular human interaction.
Maali was the only Elephant there for many years. Elephants are naturally social animals. Maali learned to interact with humans, so she was generally a happy animal in her lifetime. Instead of having other Elephant companions, Maali had her keepers and the guests as her friends.
She was intelligent; she recognized her keepers and the guests and volunteers who frequently visited her. In addition, she even had a popular playful pose that many people remembered her by.
MAALI’S PASSING
All good things eventually come to an end, even the life of Manila Zoo’s superstar. The saddening news about Maali’s passing was announced on November 23, 2023. According to her official records, she was 49 years old when she died, which tallied with the expected lifespan of an Elephant in captivity.
Manila Zoo will never be the same again without her presence. However, PetEternity had other plans for her so that she could remain in the zoo even in her afterlife, which involved taxidermy.
WHAT IS TAXIDERMY?
Taxidermy is the art of preserving the skin of animals as if they were alive. This technique is often done on vertebrates for display or educational purposes. The term comes from the Greek “taxis”, meaning “order or arrangement”, and “derma”, which translates to “skin”.
This process requires the real skin of the deceased animal. The skin is prepared, stuffed, and mounted in a life-like pose, then it is preserved and treated to prevent the formation of mold and bacteria, making the taxidermy last longer.
ANCIENT PRACTICE
Taxidermy is an ancient art tracing back to as early as 2200 BC in Egypt. Egypt was famous for mummifying their royals, and their various pets were usually preserved and buried with them in their most life-like state.
Nowadays, the practice of taxidermy is common in various museums, zoos, and personal collections.
WHY WAS TAXIDERMY DONE ON MAALI?
Taxidermy was the preferred way of preserving Maali, because it allows people to look at her as if she were still alive. People can then pose and take pictures with her, and she will still look very life-like.
Maali was preserved in two ways. Taxidermy only required her skin, so her skin was preserved via taxidermy. On the other hand, her bones can still be mounted and preserved, so another team is working on that to fully preserve Maali.
Taxidermy is also the most viable option for Maali’s preservation due to her massive size. This process can immortalize her iconic poses and refresh the memories of people who saw her when she was still alive. Preserving her in a wet preparation with formalin and other chemicals would not have been ideal. In addition, it would not be suitable for public viewing if she was to be preserved in that way.
Taxidermy was therefore the most suitable preservation method for Maali, and it was offered to the City of Manila for free. People will be able to remember her as the jolly Manila Zoo resident whom she once was.
Maali will be returned to the zoo once her taxidermy is complete.
