WHAT IS ‘ETHICAL TAXIDERMY, ANYWAY?

All of the animals I work with for my taxidermy projects are ethically sourced.

What does this mean exactly?

LET ME TELL YOU.

As a compassionate wildlife lover and aspiring naturalist from a very young age, I have great respect for the earth, all of the amazing creatures within it and of course, their welfare.

The term ‘Ethical’ can be rather ambiguous and differs between people. For me, in terms of ethical taxidermy, I pride myself in sourcing specimens that aren’t killed specifically for the purpose of taxidermy, nor do I source specimens that are a byproduct of the game shooting industry (including pest control) due to the harm it induces on our environment.

A large percentage of my specimens are the result of window strikes or road traffic accidents, which sadly, is a frequent occurrence especially on rural roads where I live.

I don’t like seeing fallen creatures being disrespected and repeatedly hit by cars. If there is an opportunity for me to play the role of an afterlife midwife, to care for the dead in a way that will honour their beauty and turn them in to ambassadors of conservation for their living ancestors – I will take it.

Opportunistic animals such as buzzards and foxes will feed from roadkill, but sadly get struck by vehicles themselves in the process. By removing roadkill from busy roads reduces this risk of other animals getting hit.

BADGER

It is believed that 50,000 badgers are hit by cars in the UK every year and that is not even taking in to account all of the other animal species.

Nobody really knows the true figures of how many animals are killed by cars a year, but ‘The Road Lab’ are trying to change that. Find out more and report roadkill by clicking the button below.

LOG ROADKILL

I think that sometimes there’s a misconception that taxidermists can be blood-thirsty animal murderers that kill them purely for the purpose of having their head on the wall.

Not only do I support various wildlife charities, (RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Wild Justice to name a few) I go an extra step further by donating a percentage of every sale to my local wildlife trust and other wildlife conservation charities.

I also help towards scientific causes. With wild birds of prey, I donate the carcass to the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme who gather amazing research to get a better understanding of how humans impact the food chain and ecosystem.

The PBMS measures the exposure and risk to wildlife to lead from lead shot and ammunition, thereby informing the work of Defra’s Lead Ammunition Group (LAG).

UP TO DATE

Engaging in the taxidermy industry has opened my eyes to various aspects of wildlife conservation previously unknown to me. Throughout my career, I have remained diligent in staying up to date with the continually evolving wildlife laws; an essential aspect of this craft. Uncovering morally unacceptable practices within the industry has fuelled my passion for instigating change, which I hilight in my blog below.

Taxidermy blog

Although my chronic illnesses prevent me from physically helping and volunteering for these wonderful charities, I like to think I am making a difference by living an eco-friendly lifestyle and being as pro-active as I can to help raise and donate money from the taxidermy and wildlife art I sell.

For further reading, here's 'Can I really be a vegan taxidermist?'

Vegan Taxidermist