The fossil gallery at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa is temporarily closed after some specimens got caught in the splash-back of pink paint sprayed by an activist at a replica dinosaur skeleton.
The incident took place around 10 a.m. Thursday. In a statement, the museum said security staff followed procedures to “ensure the safety of visitors,” and called police, who took the activist into custody.
Museum conservation experts were assessing the damage. In the meantime, the fossil gallery will be closed until the area and its specimens are cleaned.
The mischief is the latest demonstration by Last Generation Canada, previously known as On2Ottawa, a civil disobedience group that formed in 2023. The group says its actions are intended to draw attention to the climate crisis and to demand Canadian government action.
The activists said Thursday they chose a dinosaur skeleton to highlight the risk of mass extinction prompted by the climate crisis.
It was the third act of civil disobedience in Ottawa claimed by the group this week. The activists said they were responsible for the pink paint defacing the exterior of the building housing the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday, as well as the burning of a stroller on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.
According to information from Last Generation Canada, seven people have been arrested in connection with this week’s incidents.
