The International Wildlife Museum in Tucson, known for its taxidermy exhibits of exotic wild animals, closed its doors on Dec. 31, 2023, according to its website and social media pages.
The Safari Club International Foundation, which runs the museum located on Tucson west side at 4800 W. Gates Pass Road, also announced the facility's closure.
The link to the notice calls the closure temporary, but nothing in the group's statement says that.
The Safari Club is based in Tucson. It is a pro-hunting organization that also promotes and funds wildlife conservation efforts. The museum located in a castle-like building at the base of the Tucson mountains was founded in 1988.
Calls to the museum direct callers to the facility's website online, with no opportunity to leave a message.
All scheduled events have been canceled, and efforts to return loaned taxidermy animals are ongoing, the website says.
"The remaining museum’s taxidermy, animals, and exhibits will be relocated to new locations to continue educating the public on wildlife appreciation and the role of wildlife management in conservation," the museum notice said.
A tiger killed in India in 1969, a rhino taken by President Theodore Roosevelt and penguins from Richard Byrd's South Pole discovery trip have been displayed there, according to the website WhichMuseum.
