Recently, a news report about "precious snake specimens at the National Zoological Museum being damaged by children as toys" has attracted widespread attention. In the endangered animal exhibition hall on the first floor of the museum, two children were playing in front of specimens of a Zhoushan cobra and a Mangshan pit viper, repeatedly grabbing and kicking the specimens. Instead of stopping them, the accompanying parent picked up the two specimens, handed them to the children, and joined in the play. During this time, both specimens were damaged. By the time staff arrived, the parent had already left with the children.

With the rise of immersive museum experiences, many museums are adopting a "naked exhibition" format without glass enclosures, removing physical barriers to allow visitors to experience the details of the exhibits more directly. Experts and professionals say that while the distance between visitors and the exhibits is reduced, the bottom line of civilized viewing must not be compromised.

Open-style exhibitions bring people closer together

Public information shows that the damaged Mangshan pit viper specimen is of great scientific research and popular science value. Zhang Jinshuo, curator of the National Zoological Museum, said that the museum has initiated an assessment of the specimen's damage level, and it will be handed over to professional taxidermists for meticulous restoration. The museum will also comprehensively determine the value and loss of the exhibit by considering the degree of damage, industry standards, and legal cases. "This is a typical and egregious example of uncivilized visitor behavior. Adults not only fail to guide children to cherish the exhibits, but also take the lead in participating in and condoning the destruction," he said in a previous interview.

Why not put such precious specimens in glass cases? In fact, open-style exhibitions are a common practice in natural history museums across China. "The museum uses open-style exhibitions, without covering everything with glass cases, so that visitors can observe the details of the species more directly and have a better science education experience," Wang Jingxuan, a staff member at the Shanghai Natural History Museum, told reporters.

In recent years, with the rise in museum visits, more and more museums have begun to innovate their exhibition methods. Immersive and highly interactive tours have become an increasingly popular choice for museums to connect with visitors. For example, the "River of Life" exhibition area at the Shanghai Natural History Museum and the ecological restoration exhibition area at the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History have both used ecological scene restoration to place specimens in simulated native environments, achieving open exhibitions and providing visitors with a more realistic science popularization experience.

For many visitors, the appeal of this exhibition method is obvious. Ms. Zhai, a parent, believes that these exhibition methods, which allow children to interact closely with the exhibits, make the experience more realistic and stimulate their curiosity and interest in learning.

Damaging exhibits may result in legal liability.

The exhibition removed the physical barrier of glass, allowing visitors to observe the exhibits up close. However, behind this "zero-distance" experience, there are also clear rules and bottom lines.

In fact, prohibiting touching specimens is not a rule set by the museum for visitors. The National Zoological Museum clearly states that there are specific reasons for prohibiting touching specimen exhibits: sweat and oil from hands can corrode specimens; specimens are non-renewable; some specimens have residual preservatives, and children who touch them and then touch their eyes or mouths without washing their hands pose a health risk; specimens are real animals, not models.

Should those responsible for uncivilized behavior that damages specimens bear corresponding legal responsibility?

Song Yuanfeng, a partner at Liaoning Mouhe Law Firm, said that museums are places where cultural relics are concentrated. If visitors damage exhibits in museums, and the exhibits are cultural relics, they may bear civil liability according to relevant laws and regulations. In serious cases, they may even be held criminally liable.

“In this incident, the Mangshan spearhead viper specimen is a product made from a rare wild animal, and its nature is that of an animal specimen, not a ‘cultural relic’ as defined by the Cultural Relics Protection Law. However, damaging animal specimens may still incur civil, administrative, or criminal liability depending on the circumstances,” Song Yuanfeng analyzed. He continued, “In this case, the child’s act of damaging the specimen was direct, but the parents not only failed to fulfill their guardianship responsibilities but also gave the specimen to the child and participated in playing with it, thus constituting joint tort liability. Therefore, whether from the perspective of guardianship responsibility or joint tort liability, the parents must bear corresponding civil liability for compensation.”

Civilized exhibition viewing is a required course

On September 4th, the Chinese Association of Natural Science Museums announced the second batch of group standard projects approved for 2026. The "Guidelines for the Grading and Protection of Animal Specimens in Museum Exhibitions" was approved, clarifying the grading and mandatory requirements for whether biological specimens can be displayed naked and which must be placed in display cases. These guidelines place protection requirements at the exhibition design stage, controlling the risks of human contact, touching, tearing, etc., from the source, achieving a balance between the effectiveness of science popularization and the protection of the specimens.

"The collections of public museums are the public property of the state, as well as the spiritual and material wealth of all citizens, and are strictly protected by law," Song Yuanfeng reminded. He added that parents should explain the visiting rules to their children in advance, and if they discover that their children intend to touch or damage the collections during the visit, they should stop them immediately and, if necessary, terminate the visit. "If damage occurs due to failure to fulfill guardianship duties, parents will bear corresponding legal responsibility according to law."

"As a parent, I hope my child can have a good exhibition experience while following the rules." Ms. Zhai suggested that museums could protect the precious exhibits with glass cases, and at the same time set up a separate "touchable replica" or interactive experience area next to them, so that children can touch the replica teeth, bones and fur to satisfy their curiosity.

"Animal specimens are hard-won; each specimen carries a story of life and the value of scientific research and popular science," said Wang Jingxuan. He added that civilized viewing cannot rely solely on written reminders; it needs to be internalized in the hearts of every visitor. Visiting the museum is not just about viewing exhibits, but also a lesson in public etiquette. "We hope that parents, while bringing their children to the museum to learn, will set a good example and actively guide their children to visit in a civilized manner." (Source: Workers' Daily)