The Carnegie Natural History Museum adopted a new policy about displaying human remains this September. The policy states that if human remains are to be displayed there must be consent to do so.

This policy change affects an exhibit that has been on display at the museum since 1899. The display titled “Lions Attacking a Dromedary,” has been the source of controversy for the past few years, as the display featured a real human skull. The skull was removed from the display just last week. The glass on the display has been blurred out, ending the display’s time in the museum.

The human skull was not the only reason the display was being removed. There had been calls to change or remove the display before the skull controversy as the display depicted racist imagery. In 2021 the museum unveiled a new update to the display with proper history, and context to the scene shown, but Gretchen Baker the director of the museum said recently,

“I’m not going to recreate that face when it’s something that has caused a lot of individuals harm, there are a lot of people who still feel that it’s very harmful to have this display on view and question the educational value of it.”

Baker says while the skull is gone and will be returned to its proper homeland, the rest of the display will be kept by the museum to study or for future use.