Prominent collectors of mammalogical collections in museums of Kyiv in the context of the history of zoological collections

The article deals with the prehistory of the formation of modern zoological collections housed in museums of Kyiv with a significant mammalogical component. A large part of the oldest collections appeared as a result of hunting practices and have all the features of trophy collections. In fact, such collections formed the basis of the first scientific collections and exhibitions. The collectors and owners of such materials were mainly noble people. The appearance of small-sized objects was a sign of the next stage of development of collections that played a more didactic role, were reference specimens for various fauna control services or objects of special scientific research. Such collections were accumulated primarily as regional collections with low exhibition value, but important for the education and professional activity of biologists. The third stage was the systematic collection of various systematic and ecological groups for research and exhibition purposes. The fourth process is related to the sustainable functioning of taxidermy laboratories, for which it was important to have a constant supply of new materials, usually without expeditions or active collecting. The fifth part of the story, which in recent years has become an important source of acquisition, is the transfer of private and work collections, exchanges between museums, and acquisitions of collections from other, smaller institutions. Brief information about the main museum collections is given. From the entire corps of museum workers and collectors, a group of those who were closely associated with museums and worked in them or in related departments that took care of collections was singled out. These people belong to four groups (one or more): researchers, museologists, collectors, and taxidermists. A total of 32 people were briefly profiled, divided into two groups: ‘researchers-collectors’ and ‘collectors-taxidermists’. The names of key collectors and researchers whose materials have enriched museum collections are also given. The dynamics of the ‘museum’ group of persons in time is considered, with the distribution of years of life of each person. The trends of the current and possible further development of the museum society are analysed, which by all indications demonstrates a catastrophic decline over time, which began with the extinction of ‘collecting’ expeditions, the closure of studios and the loss of taxidermy schools, a general decrease in attention to morphological materials, and a change in public demands.