Artist from Pathanamthitta recreates Kerala’s first Bryde's whale skeleton
Gigi Sam works as a trainer at Panthalam BRS under the Department of Education.
Gigi Sam works as a trainer at Panthalam BRS under the Department of Education.
Gigi Sam works as a trainer at Panthalam BRS under the Department of Education.
Pathanamthitta: Stretching an impressive 15 meters, the Bryde's whale skeleton, now on display at Kochi’s CMFRI, is impossible to miss.
Yet the real marvel lies in the painstaking work behind it. Gigi Sam, a wildlife artist from Thumbamon, spent five months meticulously piecing together hundreds of broken bones to recreate one of Kerala’s most unique marine specimens.
The bones belonged to a whale that died in 2023 and washed ashore at Vellayil Beach, Kozhikode. To reconstruct the skeleton, Gigi Sam repaired and restored more than 100 fragmented and damaged bones and scientifically reconstructed any missing parts.
After the whale’s death, CMFRI took official custody and temporarily buried the carcass. In 2024, the bones were exhumed, during which several fragments were lost or further damaged. The recovered bones were then transported by lorry to Gigi Sam’s home in Thumbamon. Drawing on international reference materials, he studied the skeleton’s structure and positioning, and over five months, meticulously arranged the bones and reconstructed the missing parts using suitable materials.
To display the skeleton upright, Gigi Sam designed a custom iron frame with supporting pillars, onto which the fully reconstructed skeleton was mounted. This is the first Bryde's whale specimen in Kerala and the second in India to be displayed in this manner.
Gigi Sam works as a trainer at Panthalam BRS under the Department of Education. He is also a wildlife artist and serves as president of Pathanamthitta BIRDS, a bird-watching group. He has previously created exhibits for the Konni Elephant Museum, including displays on elephant captures, teak-wood cutting and the evolution of elephants.