B.119166
Sclerophrys regularis. Bokaal met specimens in alcohol / Bocal avec échantillons en alcool / Jar with specimens in alcohol. Parc national Albert, Kivu, RD Congo. 1955. Field-collected by G.-F. de Witte. 1955. B.119166, B.119175, B.119176, B.119191-92, B.119193-94.
A research expedition
The amphibians shown here are specimens, conserved in alcohol, acquired in 1955 by the herpetologist (reptile expert) Gaston-François de Witte (1897-1980), during a research expedition in the King Albert National Park (the current Virunga National Park).
In 1920, G.-F. de Witte joined the Museum of Belgian Congo where he worked in the Department of Zoology and Entomology. From 1924, he travelled several times to Congo, where he took samples of fauna and flora. In 1936, he joined the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Thanks to the various research expeditions led by de Witte, Belgian museums such as the Museum of Tervuren and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences were able to acquire a large number of animal and plant species. The zoological collection acquired by de Witte includes 153,031 amphibians, 6,004,000 insects, 3,326 mammals, 13,447 birds, 32,377 fish and 20,028 reptiles. The botanic collections comprise 16,944 African herbarium numbers. In addition, the Museum of Tervuren preserves about a hundred ethnographic objects acquired by de Witte during his expeditions.
Not just de Witte
Alongside the name de Witte should be the names of the hundreds of anonymous people who contributed to the collections and made them possible. In the early colonial period, the expeditions were generally organized by a small, multidisciplinary research team composed exclusively of Westerners. However, they were accompanied by many Congolese people, who were indispensable in terms of strengthening such collection trips, aimed at gathering as many specimens as possible.
The Congolese people were recruited as porters to transport the crates containing the collections. They were also engaged in tracking and hunting, or were hired to slaughter the animals. In 1954, the technical staff of the King Albert National Park consisted of 34 Congolese (preparators, hunters, botanists, taxidermists, etc.), who were in charge of feeding, sorting, and packing the collected specimens.
The preparators Kanzaguhera, Muhima, Sekure, Makaramba. 1945. RMCA Tervuren, HP.2011.62.17-562.