Egypt puts mummified animals up for adoption

Fancy a dog that is not just for life but for the afterlife? The Egyptian museum in Cairo has the answer. It is encouraging people to "adopt" its mummies of ancient Egyptian animals in an effort to help to preserve them for posterity.

Fancy a dog that is not just for life but for the afterlife? The Egyptian museum in Cairo has the answer. It is encouraging people to "adopt" its mummies of ancient Egyptian animals in an effort to help to preserve them for posterity.

On offer via the internet ­ www.animalmummies.com ­ are everything from cat mummies to crocodiles and the now extinct sacred ibis bird. In return for payments ranging from $50 (£35) for "co-parenting" a mummified snake to $800 for being sole adopter of an ancient crocodile, "parents" get a special information pack on their chosen animal.

The money raised through the "adoptions" will help to pay for a climate-controlled room for the mummies and special cases to conserve them. It will also fund research, including X-rays of the animals.

"Animal mummies have been neglected for a long time and they're deteriorating particularly quickly now because of climate change and pollution," says Salima Ikram, co-director of the Animal Mummy Project.

Experts say the animal mummies offer invaluable information about ordinary life in ancient Egypt, as well as the environment, flora and fauna of the time and even veterinary practices. The ancient Egyptians made mummies of their favourite pets, including dogs, monkeys and gazelles, to take with them into the afterlife.