"In a corner of the sprawling grounds of Niamey's only museum a unique, open-air style arrangement in Niger's capital that doubles as a zoo imposing fossil replicas of long-extinct animals stand in a corrugated iron stall. On a recent late Friday afternoon, the Boubou Hama National Museum was busy with scores of excited children. They shrilled, delighted by the rubbery grunts of the hippos near the replicas, and the faint roars of the lions further up."
"Laughter floated over to the fossil exhibition, but the replacement bones, made of resin, and which included those of a long-necked dinosaur called a jobaria, its smaller, sail-backed cousin, and a very long crocodile, were largely left alone, save for two men who stopped by for quick selfies. While living animals today may steal the show, Niger's fossils represent rare evidence of the life that flourished in this part of the continent before humans."
"Original bones are stored in a room on the complex to avoid damage and theft, or are housed in museums abroad. Much of the Sahara, including a vast swath of northern Niger, which lies within the desert, is replete with dinosaur and animal remains like these, waiting to be discovered by scientists who aim to paint a picture of what the world used to look like."
Niger displays resin replicas of rare dinosaur and prehistoric animal remains at Niamey's Boubou Hama National Museum, attracting visitors while original bones remain secured. Original fossils are kept in a storage room on the complex to prevent damage and theft, or are held in museums abroad. Much of the Sahara, including northern Niger, contains abundant dinosaur and animal remains awaiting discovery and study. Scientists seek those fossils to reconstruct past ecosystems. Museum staff note that present-day arid landscapes were once lush forests and vast water bodies where extinct animals and later civilisations thrived.
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