We’ve found Nemo
Forget about stuffy museums, in Ayia Napa you can come face to face with the island’s sea life
AYIA Napa is known around the world for its partying, its night life, its clubs, its pubs and a whole load of other not so good things. Even those of us who live in Cyprus think that Ayia Napa is all about these things, but I have discovered there is a little bit more to it than that. Amongs all the bars and clubs, on the way down the pebbled road lies Ayia Napa’s town hall. Seeing Ayia Napa in the light of day during April was a bit awkward and I kept wondering how come there are people, in particular, tourists here this time of year? Is there anything to see? Is there anything to do? It may not take up a two-week holiday, but the Marine Life Museum, tucked away in the town, is well worth a trip. Before you associate the word museum with the word boring and come up with something like ‘not interested’, believe me, it’s interesting.
The Marine Life Museum was originally used as storage room for the Town Hall before being turned into a museum. “That is why it is so small,” explained Antonia (my personal guide), “and due to this we can’t really bring anymore marine species in but now there is a new museum being built, so we’re waiting to continue the collection any time soon.” Before we go any further, it is important to explain that all the exhibits were collected and preserved after they died of natural causes.
Unlike ordinary museums that exhibit species inside glass boxes and have are very strict with visitors, the Marine Life Museum’s exhibits are shown in their natural habitat and displayed with care. I was surprised by the range of species I’d never heard of although I must admit I was familiar with a few from Walt Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo. As I walked in I came face to face with various sea and lake birds, many of which I have seen on TV but never this close. Ducks, a flamingo, a wood sandpipe, a kingfisher, an eal mallard, a pelican, a crane and many others are among the collection that lies in one corner of the museum.
Next up: the fish! Now, excuse me, but I don’t think many people have seen a shark or a moon-fish up close and personal before. In fact, I’m sure of it. “Many of these fish can’t usually be found in the Mediterranean but this moon-fish was fished in the waters of Paphos,” explained Antonia. A turtle of nearly two meters is again something you don’t see everyday. “This particular turtle is called a leather turtle because as you can see, it’s back is like leather,” said Antonia. Looking at all the species, the one thing I noticed and begged was not real, was their eyes. “Oh no, of course, they aren’t real,” said Antonia, “because they don’t last through the special liquid that all animals have to be soaked in before being preserved.”
That is the only part of all the exhibits that isn’t real. However, even though their skins are painted over and coated so they last and do not smell, there is no way to hide an animal that has been hurt. “Usually, the fish and species that live under water are fished out dead or they die naturally but if they don’t die that way, they usually are hurt in some way,” explained Antonia showing me a seal that was in a glass box. “Unfortunately this seal was dead 22 days before they found it and had severely been hurt,” explained Antonia.
Apart from fish and birds, the museum exhibits other marine organisms such as sea-urchins, star fish, crabs, lobsters, oysters, sponges, corals, marine plants and many others. Fossils that were found in Greece more than a million years ago and excellent specimens of fossilised fish from Brazil from the Jurassic period, making them more than 140 million years old, are right in front of you. The museum is jam packed with history, small tales and many other existing facts about sea life that you just can’t get anywhere else. When you do visit, make sure you check out the other specimen that’s in a glass box and try to guess what it is? I’ll give you a clue: it looks like a saw!
The Tornaritis-Pierides Marine Life Museum was founded in June 1992 in Ayia Napa and is located in the lower level of the Town Hall. Since 1997 it has operated with the cooperation of Hellenic Bank. The Town Hall itself is an extraordinary building that was last week decorated with all sorts of Easter goodies. A small bridge leads the way into the museum and instead of water underneath; there were bunny statues and Easter eggs of all colours.
l The Marine Life Museum, Agia Napa Town Hall: 25, Agia Mavri Street. Tel: 23 816300
