Museum of Idaho to extend Body Worlds Exhibit through December

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The Museum of Idaho (MOI) announced the extension of its Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out special exhibit through December 5.

The exhibit was originally slated to leave Eastern Idaho in mid-September.

Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out allows visitors to get up-close and personal with the real inner workings of domestic and exotic animals whose bodies and body parts are preserved through a process called plastination. The exhibit features more than 100 specimens displaying the intricate biology and physiology of some of the world’s most spectacular creatures. Highlights include: a giraffe, giant squid, ostrich, bull and some of the human specimens that Body Worlds is known for.

“Given the precautions everyone has had to take in 2021, we are excited to extend the availability of this exhibit to our patrons,” MOI Director of Exhibitions Rod Hansen said. “It is an extraordinary opportunity to compare and contrast the intricate biological structures of different species, including our own!”

The human specimens in the exhibit were donated to Body Worlds willingly through an established educationally focused body donation program based in Germany, and the animal specimens came as donations from zoos and veterinary programs. No animal was harmed or killed for the exhibition. Thanks to the nonprofit MOI, Idaho Falls is by far the smallest city in the US to have hosted this exhibit. Previous US venues were in Chicago, Dallas, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City.

The museum says extending the exhibit will allow people to visit who may not have felt safe coming to MOI earlier in the year. This includes school groups that were unable to take field trips last year.

Nearly 40,000 people have visited the museum since the exhibit’s opening in January, which is low for a normal year, but the museum considers it a robust showing, considering COVID-19.

The extension also bridges a gap between the museum’s current state and what’s coming next. MOI has finalized contracts for two future special exhibits: one to run from January to September 2022, and one to run from September 2022 to January 2023.

“We are going to keep the public in suspense a little bit longer,” MOI Director of Public Relations Jeff Carr said. “But everyone who knows what’s coming is excited. We’ll be bringing in several elements and experiences that this region has never seen.”