Our History
The origins of the Zoology Museum could be traced back to the very inception of the department in 1923. One of the very first administrative reports of the University College (in 1923) reports that two senior students had written ‘Zoological papers’ for the Ceylon Natural History Society, aptly demonstrating the enthusiasm of the young academics in the department at that time. The readily available wealth of faunal species in the country would have undoubtedly contributed to steady rise in the specimen collections.
The fact that Sri Lanka, being a tropical island nation, offers a vast living laboratory was recognized by the early academics. The Administrative Report of 1923 reiterates that local specimens were made use of in teaching. Students enrolled in the Zoology steam were in fact considered more fortunate than those in other countries, because most of the important Zoological types can be obtained locally. It goes on to state that “with a few exceptions, we may regard ourselves as self-contained with regard to Zoological material required for a university course”.
Even today the department continues to house some prized collections. The strong affiliations to the Zoological Gardens Dehiwala and the Colombo Museum in the earlier years would have also most likely facilitated the exchange of specimens.