Taxidermy.

Would you/do you have a taxidermied animal? Would you have your beloved pet taxidermied? Is it ok to have one that you've never met but not ok to do it to your own? Would you feel better if you had your beloved friend with you forever once their life was over? Would it be better to let them go with only your memories! Do you feel repulsed by this process or would you feel relieved to keep them?

I am right now watching a doco on taxidermy?...It's very interesting on the varying opinions surrounding this topic. If it's their pet or an unknown animal, buying it, repulsed by it, those who could not cope without their beloved everyday. Thoses that have 2 opinions, those that take a hard line, the thought process of actually commiting to having this done. To freeze dry the entire animal or skin it to have it put onto a form or to just put it to rest (either burial or cremation) & you deal with it being gone.

I must say I would never allow this for mine & I do not like it in general. I couldn't bear looking at mine daily after death knowing i had them skinned or freeze dried.
However, there are good uses of taxidermy!  ie: museum's, recording extinct species etc. On this theory, why is this ok if not for your animal?

What are your thoughts on this?

No thanks. No stuffed animals or pets for me.
It's a big thing in South Africa to have a mounted antelope head, horns or pelt but I like them living and walking around.
Only treated animal skin I like is my leather jackets and the dogs chewies.

P.S: My mum worked for a taxidermist for a few months and she said it was one of the most interesting places she's been.
The most beautiful skinned animal in her opinion: A baboon.

VOMIT!

Sorry, I added a few q's as you answered.

Gotta say, I'm in the boat with you.

South Africa is big on hunting and mounting your trophy's. My dad was Dutch so I have a bit of a different upbringing from the norm here.

Your post reminded me of ... making a diamond from your pets ashes.
http://www.dna2diamonds.com/pet-diamonds
http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/beloved_pets_main2006.aspx

I have read about this! But I don't like this either.
Not quite sure how to explain my thoughts.... our dogs are cremated.

I believe you should let the dead rest. I'm going to sound like a hypocrite because I don't believe a body has anything to do with the soul but I also believe you should not desecrate a body to respect the soul that has passed.

Prior to buying my house they were laid to rest in family homes, now they will be here where part of my dad's ashes are. ( I didnt want to split them, but that was his wish. Part with me, part with my sister, the majority in his favorite ocean.)

I find taxidermy fascinating & very useful to preserving history but it will never be part of my or my animals life.
I do however understand (without agreeing) why others choose this.

Mixed opinions. For me, it depends very much on why it's done. As hunting trophies, I don't particularly like it, as I consider it a waste of life. For things like preservation of history, education, beloved pets, etc., I'm neutral.

I'm undecided on its usage in history/museums etc, but totally against hunting trophies & hunting in general. As for pets being stuffed (sorry, taxidermied) not on your life!

I don't mind it when some people literally hunt and gather (out of choice) for their food. Living off the land, and all that business. As far as I'm concerned, it's nature and it happens. I don't like blood sports, though.

I do not agree with it for hunting trophies.  I think it's disgraceful to kill anything for a trophy!  To kill to eat/survive is quite something else.Then we get into a whole other topic.

The doco was on people enjoying taxidermy as a trade for preserving their pet.

I understand the feelings of such love that you do not want to part with your beloved pet but.... I can't really get my head around how, if you loved them, how you could allow this?

I'm going to be very offensive but thinking about it...
I think it's very creepy to have your stuffed dog or cat in it's bed in the lounge (or where ever) because 'you can't let go'. You seriously need a psychiatrist IMAO!
A grave or a marker, something to remember them by - yes - but Xan stuffed and sitting on the sofa makes me think of that Psycho movie.

That is not offensive at all. Its exactly my thought! I love all animals to bits, but taxidermy is not something I could do to them.

I've not met anybody who had their pet stuffed and mounted, so I don't know from experience what the thought process behind it is. I think, perhaps, it's indicative of the owner's inability to let go and move on. In that case, it's probably not healthy. Trying to say this as sensitively as I can!

Eleanor wrote:I think, perhaps, it's indicative of the owner's inability to let go and move on. In that case, it's probably not healthy. Trying to say this as sensitively as I can!

I totally agree and couldn't have put it better myself. There is no way I would have any of my dogs, horses or Grandmas, much as I loved them, stuffed and sitting in a corner of my room - a travesty of what they were.

I think it would actually make it worse for me! Having a constant reminder there, especially in the first few weeks, when you're trying to cope with life without them!

Well I don't know how quick taxidermists at their work; I would suspect that the effigy wouldn't be received whilst in the first ecstasies of grief. (I would have said throws of grief but can't spell it!)

I don't think it takes very long, but I don't know if there's a waiting list or anything.

They normally take 3-4 wks till they are returned unless they have a back log. 2 mths is apparently not uncommon. I personally couldnt have this done to mine. I couldnt bear to see them everyday knowing they were gone & what had been done to them. But on the doco.... there were numerous people that were in such grief, yet having their beloved to look at & pat once again, to have forever bought a new lease of life to them.

I personally find it really hard to understand how you could freeze dry or skin a loved one. But, obviously it works for some people.

I would hate to have a stuffed pet.

I wouldn't be able to touch it - so cold & lifeless.

The longer time periods are usually for the larger or more complicated animals. Usually, smaller animals can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. It also depends on what form of preservation you want. Some people opt for freeze-drying, rather than taxidermy, which takes a lot longer.

I wouldn't want to ridicule somebody who chooses to remember their pet with this method. Although it's very foreign to me, we all grieve in our own ways.

Yes we do all grieve differently. There is no question there. It was a very interesting doco to listen to an opposing point of view & understand why they thought the way they did.

Understanding is different to agreeing. I understand their reasoning, but I still can't actually agree.

tracyp wrote:

Understanding is different to agreeing.  I understand their reasoning, but I still can't actually agree.

Exactly.

I don't like personal taxidermy, but i have a stuffed pheasant called "omg you scared the **** out of me"

However i have a thing for skeletons and i would rather like my pets ones lol (i have an actual pet grave yard...)

It's not something I could do. I think it would make it worse having them sitting there, but not actually there. For museums I understand it.
The worst place I have visited was a hunters camp in Pennsylvania. I couldn't believe the number of animals and skins in the place all killed just so they could be displayed

I hate that