Herman the Bull stabled in Naturalis

On Friday 15 February Herman the Bull returned to his old stamping ground, the Naturalis Museum in Leiden. He will be on display on the footbridge until 2 March. After that, he will move temporarily to the Gallery and will eventually be on permanent display as part of the Research in progress exhibition.

After Herman died in 2004, his hide was cured and preserved. Herman briefly returned to Naturalis in July 2006, when his hide was stuffed by a taxidermist for an exhibition. After that, the hide was left to dry out. But from now on, Herman can be permanently admired in the museum in all his splendour.

Herman the Bull was the first genetically modified mammal in the world. He spent his old age in a stable in the grounds of Naturalis, where he died on 2 April 2004. As a result of his advanced age, he suffered badly from arthrosis, and so the vet decided to put him down. At over 13 years of age, Herman the Bull was one of the oldest bulls ever in the Netherlands.

Debate
Naturalis, being the national natural history museum of the Netherlands, is the best place for information on biodiversity. Thousands of animal species, from insects to mammals, are kept in the Naturalis collection tower, which is the national natural history archive. Herman the Bull represents the start of a new era in the way Man deals with nature. Herman is an icon of scientific progress and the subsequent public discussion of these issues. Information and public discussion remain important. And that is the symbolic value of having Herman the Bull in Naturalis.