The animal looks as it did in life.
Após quatro anos de silêncio imposto por danos estruturais sérios, o Museu de Ciências Naturais do Zoológico de Brasília reabriu suas portas em maio de 2026, transformando o que seria um reparo modesto em uma revitalização completa. O espaço reformado convida visitantes a percorrer a história da vida — dos esqueletos aos ecossistemas — com a ajuda de educadores ambientais e de técnicas de preservação que restituem aos animais a dignidade de sua forma em vida. Mais do que uma reabertura, trata-se de um reencontro: com criaturas que viveram ali, com a biodiversidade brasileira, e com a responsabilidade coletiva de guardar a memória do mundo natural.
- Fechado desde 2022 por problemas estruturais graves, o museu acumulou quatro anos de ausência que deixaram um vazio em uma das atrações mais queridas do Zoológico de Brasília.
- O que começou como uma manutenção pontual revelou danos tão profundos que exigiu uma reforma completa — um projeto que cresceu em escopo, custo e tempo, testando a paciência da gestão e do público.
- O novo diretor-presidente assumiu o desafio em 2023 e priorizou a segurança acima de tudo, garantindo que a reabertura só acontecesse quando o espaço estivesse verdadeiramente pronto.
- O museu reaberto apresenta quase 200 espécimes organizados por bioma, com destaque para o esqueleto de 4,3 metros da girafa Yvelize e o tigre Rabisco taxidermizado com técnicas modernas que reconstituem a forma viva dos animais.
- As visitas guiadas por educadores ambientais transformam o espaço em uma experiência de diálogo sobre evolução e biodiversidade, funcionando de terça a domingo em dois turnos diários.
O Museu de Ciências Naturais do Zoológico de Brasília reabriu na manhã de sábado após quatro anos fechado. Os problemas estruturais descobertos em 2022 eram sérios demais para soluções rápidas, e o que parecia ser uma manutenção simples tornou-se uma reforma completa quando os engenheiros avaliaram a extensão real dos danos.
Wallison Couto, que assumiu a direção do zoológico em 2023, herdou o desafio e optou por fazer o trabalho de forma correta, mesmo que isso significasse mais tempo de espera. A segurança foi a prioridade absoluta. O resultado é um espaço renovado, com acessibilidade ampliada para pessoas com deficiência, instalações modernizadas e um percurso dividido em três seções: osteotécnica, evolução animal e uma zona interativa dedicada ao Cerrado.
Dois animais dão alma à coleção. Yvelize, uma girafa que viveu no zoológico até 2018, está preservada em esqueleto com 4,3 metros de altura — uma presença que domina o ambiente. Rabisco, um tigre querido pelos visitantes habituais, foi taxidermizado com técnicas modernas que substituem o antigo empalhamento com palha pelo uso de espuma expansiva, capaz de reconstituir os contornos reais do animal: a curvatura dos músculos, a expressão do rosto, a postura em vida. Para Couto, essa fidelidade importa tanto para a educação quanto para a memória afetiva.
Todas as visitas são guiadas por educadores ambientais, que conduzem grupos em conversas sobre a evolução dos vertebrados e a diversidade dos ecossistemas brasileiros. O museu funciona de terça a domingo, em dois turnos: manhã das 9h ao meio-dia, e tarde das 13h30 às 16h30. A reabertura encerra um ciclo e devolve ao zoológico um de seus espaços mais significativos.
The Natural Sciences Museum at Brasília's Zoo opened its doors again on Saturday morning after four years of silence. The building had been shuttered since 2022, its structural problems too serious to ignore. What began as a simple maintenance project became something far more ambitious once engineers got inside and saw what needed fixing.
Wallison Couto, the zoo's director-president, took over management in 2023 and inherited this problem. He explained to reporters that the initial plan was modest—patch things up, reopen. But the technical assessments revealed damage that demanded a complete overhaul. The closure stretched longer than anyone expected, but it bought time to do the work properly. Safety came first. Everything else followed from that.
The renovated space now moves visitors through three distinct sections. The first focuses on osteotechnics, the study of skeletal structure. The second traces how animals evolved. The third is an interactive zone dedicated entirely to the Cerrado, the Brazilian savanna ecosystem that surrounds the capital. Nearly two hundred biological specimens fill the museum, each one catalogued by the biome it came from. Some are in pristine condition. Others show their age. All of them tell a story.
Two specimens anchor the collection emotionally. Yvelize was a giraffe who lived at the zoo until 2018. Her skeleton stands 4.3 meters tall—a presence that commands the room. Rabisco was a tiger, and his taxidermied body carries the weight of something the regular visitors loved. These are not abstract educational objects. They are animals people remember, animals that lived here, animals that mattered.
The techniques used to preserve them have evolved. The old method, called empalhamento, literally stuffed animals with straw. It worked, after a fashion, but the results looked flat and artificial. Modern taxidermy uses expanding foam, which allows the taxidermist to sculpt the animal's actual contours—the curve of muscle, the set of the eyes, the shape of the mouth. The animal looks as it did in life. Couto emphasized that this matters not just for education but for memory. When people see these creatures preserved this way, they feel something. They remember the care the zoo took with them.
All visits are guided. Environmental educators lead groups through the museum, walking them through the evolution of vertebrates and the diversity of life in Brazilian ecosystems. This is not a self-guided experience where visitors wander and read plaques. It is a conversation, a teaching moment, a chance to understand what the specimens represent.
The museum operates Tuesday through Sunday, with two shifts each day: morning from nine to noon, afternoon from half past one to half past four. The reopening marks the completion of a larger project that also added accessible pathways, modernized bathrooms, and built a sports court nearby for families. The zoo itself has been operating normally. Now, finally, this particular space—one of the park's most beloved—is ready to welcome people back.
Citas Notables
During technical evaluations, our engineering team detected serious structural problems that required a much larger renovation than initially planned. The closure was necessary to ensure safety and deliver a fully revitalized space.— Wallison Couto, director-president of Brasília Zoo
Modern taxidermy uses expanding foam, allowing a more natural contour of the animal, including eyes and mouth. Preserving these specimens preserves the zoo's own history.— Wallison Couto
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did it take four years? Was the damage really that extensive?
The initial assessment was incomplete. When Couto's team arrived in 2023, they found structural problems that weren't obvious from the outside. Once they started the detailed engineering work, the scope kept growing. They couldn't reopen until it was safe.
So this wasn't just about fixing a roof or replacing old wiring.
No. It was foundational work. The building itself was compromised. You can't rush that kind of repair, especially in a public space where children come.
The giraffe skeleton—Yvelize—is that the main draw?
It's certainly iconic. Four meters tall. But the tiger, Rabisco, might matter more emotionally. People who visited years ago remember him. Seeing him preserved this way, it's like the zoo is saying: we kept him. We honored him.
The taxidermy technique sounds like it makes a real difference.
It does. The old method made animals look like museum pieces from a century ago. This new approach—the foam, the careful sculpting—it lets you see the animal as it was. That changes how people connect with the specimens.
Are the guided tours mandatory?
Yes. Every visit is led by an environmental educator. It's not just about showing people what's there. It's about teaching them why it matters—vertebrate evolution, ecosystem diversity, the Cerrado itself.
What happens next? Is this the final piece of the zoo's renovation?
This completes a major phase. But a zoo is always evolving. The question now is whether the public comes back and whether the educational mission takes hold.