The Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion has filed for bankruptcy after the conclusion of a lengthy court battle.
Officials with the insectarium made the move in an effort to protect the building that houses the museum and butterfly pavilion. The Philadelphia Business Journal first reported the news.
Last week, a judge ruled that possession of the building should be passed to the estate of a former owner of the property, due to a dispute over mortgage costs that stretches back decades, PBJ.com reports.
In fact, PBJ.com notes, the museum had not made any mortgage payments since 2016.
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Leadership at the museum has called for an emergency fundraising campaign in an effort to pay back its debts.
According to a bankruptcy filing obtained by NBC10, the insectarium has debts that have grown to somewhere between $1 million and $10 million.
Representatives for the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the recent filing.
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The Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion made national news back in 2018, when more than $40,000 worth of insects were stolen from the museum.
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