Professor O.O.Salhanskiy museum of forest animals and birds

History of the Museum. Foundation of the Museum is dated 1898. At that time under zoological laboratory led by professor Y. Wagner the first museum exposition was created. In 30-ies the Museum was handed to the newly created Kyiv Forestry Institute. It is known that before the before the war in 1941 the Museum was headed by professor Lebedev, and most of the collection during the war moved to Germany.

Since 1952, the museum is headed by Professor in future, Doctor of Biological Sciences O. Salhanskiy, who along with his combat comrades, educational master S. Slavkov for 50 years was taking care of the Museum. O. Salhanskiy and S. Slavkov collected the largest part of exhibits, which are currently in the museum. After Professor O. Salhanskiy went for deserved pension the Museum was headed by I. Kirilenko, A. Sagaidak, Y. Grib, V. Belous. Currently the head of the Museum is O. Sliva.

A lot of efforts to create the exposition and supplying Museum with new exhibits made apprentices and followers of O. Salhanskiy: Ph.D V. Tishchenko, Ph.D, A. Shadura, Ph.D. V.Smahol, Ph.D. G. Havrys, Ph.D D. Berezhnoy, Ph.D. I. Davydenko.

In 2004, the Museum was named as Professor O. Salhanskiy by a decision of the Academic Council of ESI LiSPH ,and in 2006 the Museum was reorganized into a training laboratory by order of the rector. In 2007, the Museum was repaired, and new equipment was purchased. Since early 2011, renewed museum is functioning in its usual regime.

Museum Functions. The museum is actively involved in the learning process and educational activities of the university.

Educational function. On the Museum basis lectures, laboratory and practical training and training practices of forest zoology for bachelors are performed. The Museum also functions as a research laboratory during the course of zoogeography, evolution of wildlife, hunting trophies, hunting organization, etc. for masters. In addition, for decades group of biologists-game management scientists operates at the Museum initiated by Professor O. Salhanskiy. Currently, the group’s supervisor is associate professor Ph.D. V. Tishchenko.

Because the exhibits of the Museum include a large number of species (lynx, wild cat, bustard, golden eagle, osprey, etc.), which are included in the various "red" lists (the Red Book of Ukraine, the Berne Convention, the IUCN Red List, etc.), it is necessary to form visitors’ preservative attitude to nature. It is constantly emphasized that the main cause for decrease of the Red Book species is the direct or indirect human destruction.

Informative function. Because among the visitors to the museum there are those, that have no biological education, the task of the Museum is to show the diversity of fauna, natural areas and habitats in Ukraine, what is also stimulated by photo illustrations posted on the walls of the Museum.

Museum Content. All exhibits are divided into exposition and stocks and educational exhibits.

Exposition exhibits divided into stuffed animals, biogroups, head on medallions, birds’ nests, hoofed horns, eggs of birds - a total of more than 800 units. Birds are mostly presented: 238 species belonging to 22 order. Mammals are presented by 50 species belonging to 7 orders.

It should be noted that the museum was filled in soviet times, thus among the exhibits there are species not usual for Ukraine - Siberian ibex, Baikal seal, musk deer and other. There are also inputs from zoos - chimpanzee, leopard, rhino, puma.

It should be noticed also about 11 exhibits dated by 1907-08 years. That is stuffed Puff, Mute Swan, buzzard, eagle, gray crane, auk, steppe polecat, glossy ibis, cormorant and crow. They belong to the collection of outstanding figure in nature protection F.F. Shillinger. The story of its delivery to the museum, unfortunately, remains unknown.

Among the gifts a special place occupies the head of elk on a medallion, presented to Professor O. Salhanskiy by Minister of Forestry of the USSR O. Soldatov.

Stocks. Stocks as carcasses made mostly by A. Danilovich (1930-1950) and A. Tyahunovym (1970). They are used to study the patterns of geographic distribution, biotopical distribution, coloring features, systematic separation, i.e. have pure scientific functions. The collection presents 154 species of birds (14 rows) and 19 species of mammals (2 rows).

Educational exhibits. These include skulls, skeletons and skins that are actively involved in the educational process at studying the structural features of birds and mammals.

Unfortunately, the area of the Museum is limited, so not all the exhibits are exposed in the museum. Some of them are represented in the room 105 in dioramas "Carpathian", "Crimea", " Polissia", "Forest Steppe", "Steppe" and "Wetlands", located on the third floor of educational building one, as well as biogroups between the first and second floors.