Over 15,000 Indian specimens digitised at London's NHM: Official

Over 15000 specimens from India housed at the London's Natural History Museum (NHM) have been digitised till date, its curator Alan Warren said on Thursday.

According to an estimate by him, the museum's collection could hold close to half a million specimens from India.

"As many as 15, 275 specimens from India have been digitised so far. At present we have digitised close to 3 percent of our collection which is around 80 million specimens. If we extrapolate from that, say that we have digitised only 3 percent if our Indian holdings, we could hold half a million of specimens from India," Warren told IANS here.

"Given the long history of Indian and Britain, this could be the scenario," he said on the sidelines of a talk at the Calcutta University's department of zoology.

Iterating the NHM has a "long way to goa to digitise its entire collection, Warren stressed on digital repatriation initiatives.

"It's extremely important to share what we have and we are open to associate with India in that area," he said.

Informing that NHM director Michael Dixon is in India, he said engagements are being forged at an institutional level in India.

Ena Ray Banerjee, associate professor, department of zoology said talks are on for a partnership with the NHM for the varsity's heritage zoology museum.