Like all larger museums The Natural History Museum Berne stores large amounts of scientific treasures behind the scenes, unseen by most visitors. Treasures that are of little interest to the general public as their great value is purely scientific. Type specimens -- specimens that were used to describe a species for the first time -- for example are such items. The nearly complete Mesolithic skeleton from Birsmatten is another such specimen as it represents the oldest human skeleton ever found in Switzerland. The first occurrence of Rana dalmatina in Switzerland, not more than a dead frog in a glass of alcohol, is an important evidence to wildlife biologists. Usually such items do not represent a special value for exhibiting and thus they are not shown to the public. On the contrary, the curator in charge will only remove these riches from his well-protected collections on very special occasions. One of his main duties is to care for the unharmed preservation of these items and to make them accessible to fellow scientists only.
We would now like to present one of the most interesting collections of the Natural History Museum, a collection that is completely hidden from the public and accessible only on special appointment: The Albert Heim Foundation for Canine Research.
