Face of the LIB: Md Abdullah Al Mamun

What role does nature play in your life, beyond your work at the museum?
Nature is a very important part of my life. It gives me mental, emotional and physical strength and represents a deep connection between all living things. There are places in nature that are particularly meaningful to me, such as Saint Martin’s Island in Bangladesh, a small island in the Bay of Bengal that I experienced as especially peaceful and unspoilt. The richness of the marine environment and the unique atmosphere there are closely linked to personal memories, and I hope to return there one day. Being active outdoors is also important to me: in my free time, I enjoy playing cricket, football or badminton, which helps me find a balance to the focused work involved in preparation. For me, nature therefore represents not only research and conservation, but also quality of life.

What brought you to the LIB – and how did you become involved in preparation in the first place?
My desire to study biology began at a very early age. I was particularly fascinated by zoology, which is why I completed both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in this field in Bangladesh. As there are no natural history museums in my home country, I was only familiar with animal specimens from books for a long time. Even at our faculty at university, we had no access to prepared specimens.

I first encountered preparation through workshops at my university. It quickly became clear to me how central it is to research, teaching and the protection of biodiversity. Prepared specimens preserve animals permanently and make nature tangible, even for people outside the scientific community.

How did this lead to your training in Germany?
One of my professors had the vision of establishing a natural history museum in Bangladesh. Through international contacts, a collaboration emerged with European colleagues, including my later instructor Marco Fischer from the Natural History Museum in Erfurt. From this, a German–Bangladeshi training project for zoological preparators developed.

Thanks to funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), I was able to come to Germany together with two other students. We completed a multi-year specialised training programme that combined practical work in several natural history museums with theoretical studies at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.

The original aim was to take this knowledge back to Bangladesh. Why did that not work out?
After completing our training, we wanted to return and help establish a natural history museum. However, this plan failed due to political, structural and financial conditions. There was a lack of long-term support and willingness to invest in research and museum infrastructure.

This was very frustrating for us. We were well trained, but there was no institution where we could work. In the end, we had to accept that we could not apply our knowledge in our home country in the way we had planned.

How did you eventually come to work at the LIB?
After the project failed, I faced the decision of either leaving my knowledge unused or taking a new path. Preparation is a highly specialised profession that requires continuous practice. That is why I decided to remain in Germany. Working at the LIB allows me to meaningfully combine my scientific background with my craft skills.

Did you ever feel that you were moving away from science?
No – quite the opposite. My work as a preparator is, for me, part of scientific work. Knowledge of anatomy, habitats and ecological relationships is essential in order to prepare animals accurately and realistically.

What role does teamwork play in your daily work?
As taxidermists, we always work as a team. Teamwork is an essential part of our daily work and the main way we achieve our goals while maintaining a positive working environment. Many decisions are made jointly – for example when solving complex problems, sharing knowledge or distributing workloads. This allows tasks to be completed more efficiently and to a higher standard. Especially at the LIB, where research plays a central role, close collaboration with colleagues from other departments is particularly important.

What is the significance of preparation for research and exhibitions?
Both are equally important. Scientific specimens preserve animals for future research, for example for genetic analyses. Exhibition specimens make biodiversity visible and raise awareness of nature and species conservation. The two are inseparable.

Is there a specimen that is particularly close to your heart?
(Laughs) Yes – actually a chicken. At first glance it seems unspectacular, but that is exactly what makes it so interesting to me. Almost everyone knows a chicken, yet very few people realise how complex its body structure is. This specimen is very well suited to showing how much knowledge is contained in seemingly everyday animals.

What was new about this particular specimen?
For the chicken, we applied a new preparation method and worked more extensively with form-stable materials. The skin on the head was replaced with plastic and then adjusted very precisely. It was a process involving many attempts, discussions and experiments. In the end, the result was a specimen that is stable, durable and at the same time very true to life.

Why is this method relevant for museum work?
Some materials are often less sensitive to light, climate and ageing. This is a major advantage for collections and exhibitions intended to last over the long term. For me, the chicken symbolises contemporary preparation: scientifically sound, respectful and open to innovation.

This work is part of the special exhibition “People Make Museums”. What role does the chicken play there?
The exhibition makes behind-the-scenes work visible – the kind of work visitors usually do not see. The chicken is an exemplary object that shows how much knowledge, craftsmanship and teamwork are involved in a single specimen. It tells the story of preparation as a learning process – and of the people who shape museums.

What does a typical working day look like for you?
There is hardly a fixed routine. I work with very different objects – from birds and mammals to models or plants. Several projects often run in parallel. I really value this diversity.

What advice would you give to people who want to become a preparator?
You need patience, manual skill, scientific curiosity and great respect for nature. It is also important to be able to cope with setbacks and to keep learning continuously. Preparation is a long process – but a very rewarding one.

Md Abdullah Al Mamun has been working as a zoological preparator at the Museum of Nature Hamburg at the LIB since 2020. After studying zoology in Bangladesh, he completed a DAAD-funded training programme as a preparator in Germany, including at the Natural History Museum in Erfurt and Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. He has worked at several natural history museums in Germany and abroad and has received international awards for his preparatory work.