The Untold Stories Behind Museum Collections

Every museum maintains a top-secret “grab list”—an emergency inventory outlining the prized possessions to save in case disaster strikes. Imagine this: a sudden fire breaks out amidst the ancient artifacts. Only minutes remain to decide what treasures to rescue. This task is excruciatingly tricky, as it involves a delicate balance between selecting items that have a fighting chance against flames, such as large fossils, and those that can be swiftly moved.

Enter Jack Ashby, assistant director of the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, who holds a special place in his heart—and hands—for the museum’s most critical items. What’s topping his grab list? A pair of Rodrigues parakeets, unique specimens that once soared over their Indian Ocean island home 150 years ago.

A Glimpse into the Priceless