'We plan to develop scientific tourism, when any scientist can come to Yakutia and work with our paleontologists.

As scientists deepen their interest in the woolly mammoth, with some experts seeking to bring the animal back to life, experts need a state-of-the-art storage facility. The estimated cost is $1.4 million to $2.8 million.

It will allow both 'scientific tourists' and ordinary tourists to travel to Yakutsk, capital of the Sakha Republic, to see the remains of the extinct creature. It will also provide for a disease-free environment, avoiding such risks as anthrax, from remains that are between 10,000 and 40,000 years old, it is claimed.

The plan is for the partially underground 'cryostorage' facility to use the natural permafrost in this region, also known as Yakutia, but to increase the cold when necessary by artificial means.

Igor Kolodeznikov, president of the Academy of Sciences of the republic, said: 'Thanks to the storage, we could greatly expand our research opportunities with mammoth fauna. That means unique storage conditions, and the possibility of long-term proper study of various objects, and, in the end, cooperation of the entire international research community.'

Valery Plotnikov, senior fellow of the department of mammoth fauna at the academy, said: 'Now the finds are stored in freezers. Of course, they allow us to maintain the required temperature, but it is almost impossible to hold any research there because of luck of space. The new project provides several sections, including a special chamber for dissection in cold conditions.

'There will be also quarantine chambers. Carcasses of ancient animals can carry dangerous bacteria and diseases, such as anthrax. We also plan to develop scientific tourism. That is, any scientist can come to Yakutia and work with our paleontologists. We can also show mammoths to tourists.'

The go-ahead for the project came from the republic's president Yegor Borisov, reports say.