Let’s Talk Taxidermy

Taxidermy is a super controversial topic and it can be very polarizing. I use taxidermy in my own home décor and am willing to use it in other’s as well. I absolutely respect those who are opposed to it and I would never try to force it on or judge a person who is. This post is simply offering anyone who is opposed another perspective and asking them to refrain from judging and criticizing people who do appreciate it, as well as giving a little education about what is and isn’t ethical when it comes to taxidermy.

What is ethical taxidermy? Taxidermists often have a great love and respect for the animals that they are preserving and with that comes a passion for conservation and animal rights. When a seller refers to a specimen as “ethically sourced” it can mean a myriad of things that change person to person and can sometimes be outright lies so it’s really important to ask questions. Generally, it means that an animal died of natural causes or was not trophy hunted for sport. There are many who consider hunting and trapping to be ethical sources of food and taxidermy. Hunting and trapping can also be deeply rooted in a person’s culture and tradition so it’s very important that you watch what you say so that you don’t offend someone. There are tons of ways that a taxidermist might find specimens for taxidermy without killing an animal specifically for that purpose. Roadkill is one of the most common: deer, birds and small mammals are very commonly found on roadways in rural areas (and not-so rural areas too). Using roadkill is a great sustainable practice that insures the body won’t go to waste and has the added benefit of protecting scavenger animals from also being killed on the road. Legal hunting, in most countries including the United States is highly regulated and the animals hunted for food (deer, moose, elk, squirrels and bears) are the ones that are most likely to end up as a taxidermy mount. Most hunted animals are not killed simply for mounting, and certain hunting licenses require that the meat is used as food. Pest animals are also hunted for the purpose of protecting agriculture, so they are not killed to be mounted, but as a means of protecting farm land and animals. Another great, sustainable practice is collecting unused animal byproducts from farmers and hunters. This is a great way to honor an animal, insuring that the entire body is used and nothing goes to waste. Wildlife preserves and rescues are another wonderful source for the ethical taxidermist.

Generally, people who practice taxidermy tend to be interested in it for artistic and educational purposes. One such example is Divya Anantharaman of Gothic Taxidermy in NYC, a premier BIPOC female taxidermist (read absolute QUEEN) focused on science, conservation and creativity. She perfectly sums up how I feel about the value of taxidermy specimins on an Instagram post of a protected species she is mounting for educational purposes saying “There are many conversations about the value of taxidermy displays, but one that is very personal to me is acess. Most of my childhood was spent with the bare neccesities- travel to the world’s ecological wonders was too costly, sometimes even getting out locally was an investment of time. But taxidermy displays, especially ones open to the public, helped me find my way.” She goes on to speak about mounting a few birds for a local biology teacher to help him find a creative way for his students to connect with nature. For me, that is the crux of what I personally love about taxidermy. My favorite pieces are second hand, usually vintage or antique and animals that I wouldn’t find in my area. I get to appreciate their beauty and give them a second or third or fourth life as once living art.

With all of that in mind, there is no governing body to hold taxidermists or sellers accountable for moral conduct and anyone can label their taxidermy “ethical”. So, it becomes the responsibility of the buyer to educate themselves and decide what they feel ethical means to them. Many of the anthropomorphic bunnies, mice and rats that are wildly popular and widely available are sourced from breeders that raise and euthanize these animals as food for other pets or zoo animals and can be shipped to your door frozen. Technically, they were killed to be food for another animal and not for the purposes of taxidermy, so ethical! Right? In this case, I think it really comes down to your own personal feelings whether this practice is ethical or not. There are a lot of opinions on trophy hunting in Africa and I can see the good that comes out of it, but it also makes me a little sad and I couldn’t see myself hunting an elephant, so again, I think it lies on the spectrum of how you feel about it. Bats, however are an entirely different story and I have personally fallen victim to the straight up lie that the taxidermy I was buying was ethically sourced. Most bats are sourced from South-East Asia, sold mummified in bulk and are very inexpensive. A lot of creators will buy these animals in bulk, zhuzh them up with a pretty frame, background or cloche and resell them at a significant profit often with the promise that they’ve been responsibly sourced. The fact of the matter is, these are either outright lies, or they are regurgitating the misinformation given to them by the shady sellers. Bat conservationist Jasmine Vink explains “It’s really difficult to breed bats in captivity. They only have 1–2 babies a year. They need specialist care. It would not be economical to breed them in captivity.” There are also claims of bats who are found deceased and she says “Occasionally, you may find a relatively intact bat that has already passed but to find these fresh, completely intact and in large numbers is impossible.” It is most likely that these bats are being poached from the wild, many of them are classified as vulnerable species and I think that most of us can agree that poaching protected species is unethical.

While I’m not asking anyone to change their mind about how they feel about owning taxidermy, I hope I was able to give a little bit of perspective on why so many people appreciate the art form. So often I see people in design groups bullied for their personal taste and other’s moral objections to it. I wish I could remind the world that you don’t have to cut someone down because they like something that you don’t! We all have different tastes, and what better place to express yours than your own home?! So, love your neighbor even if you don’t love their décor.

Here are the sources I used, the first is a much deeper dive:

https://www.mickeyalicekwapis.com/blog/ethicaltaxidermy

https://www.gothamtaxidermy.com/

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2021/12/stop-buying-these-bats-scientists-and-conservationists-plead/