Taxidermist Out On A Limb

There's an artist living in east Taranaki and he works with dead animals so they look very much alive. Richard Lee is a taxidermist and this week we follow his story.

Rewind

People have been preserving animal skins for thousands of years and using them for clothes. By the 1700s most small towns around the world had a prosperous tannery business and by the beginning of the 20th century people there were taxidermists who could preserve dead animals and make them look incredibly lifelike.

Are these things happening in New Zealand in the first five years of the 20th century? You decide by answering true or false.

1. Cars are now on New Zealand's roads.

2. Most New Zealanders live in urban areas (bigger towns) rather than rural areas (the country).

3. A motorised vehicle carries New Zealand's mail for the first time.

4. A New Zealander invents the world's first stamp-vending machine.

5. A law is passed in Parliament that makes it illegal for children to smoke.

Answers at the bottom of the page.

What is a taxidermist?

Investigate this site.

Find out the answers to these questions and then compare your answers with a classmate's.

1. Who were the very first taxidermists?

2. What does a tanner do and why did they become VIPs? (Very Important People.)

3. Where did the term "stuffed animals" come from?

4. What did taxidermists start doing that made this web writer compare them to "true artists"?

Now that you know more, finish the rest of the sentence below to show you know what a taxidermist does.

• A taxidermist works with...

Where do you stand?

Before you read this week's story decide whether you agree or disagree with the statements below. Jot down your answers.

1. Taxidermists have a highly unusual job.

2. Taxidermists are more concerned with the dead than the living.

3. A good taxidermist is a true artist.

4. Taxidermists help people understand more about wild animals.

5. The only people that use the skills of a taxidermist are hunters.

6. Taxidermy gives dead animals new life.

Return to this quiz when you finish this week's TreasureLink. Decide whether you still agree with all your answers.

Word watch

All the words and phrases below are in this week's story. Decide if the best meaning is (a) or (b) and then check your answers as you read the story.

1. preserved (a) protected or (b) kept in perfect condition

2. talons (a) the claws of a bird of prey or (b) sharp teeth

3. icon (a) a native animal or (b) an important symbol

4. cost me an arm and a leg (a) it wasn't as expensive as first thought or (b) it was very expensive

5. posterity (a) future generations or (b)a bit of a joke

6. hybrid accent (a) an accent that comes from living in two parts of the world or (b)  a weird accent

7. adamant (a) unsure or (b) determined in his belief

8. venison (a) deer meat or (b) the meat of wild game

9. scrupulously clean (a) cleaned conscientiously and precisely or (b) very clean

10. in lieu (a) a payment or (b) a substitute

Answers at the bottom of the page.

A deadly house?

Read the first part of this week's story and find out why Richard calls his home "The house of death"

Check out the photo above.

How does the interior design of Richard's lounge compare with yours?

(a) Similar in a way or

(b) Completely different.

How would you describe a lounge like this?

(a) amazingly interesting

(b) stylish
(c) sporty
(d) different but not for me
(e) macabre (you may have to look that one

An artist at work

Read, "Artist sets the scene." Look carefully for how Richard tells a story with his animals.

What if you were a taxidermist and you wanted to "set the scene" with these animals? It's for an exhibition with the title "Animal pests"

1. a rat

2. a stoat

3. a weasel

4. a possum

5. a goat 

Jot down or sketch your ideas and share them with some others that have done this activity.

Rare bear

Richard says this black bear is rare because it is a cinnamon colour. People can get up close and see what it's like but it's a dead bear now. It was shot.

You won't see some species in Richard's collection because they are protected. He would need special permission to work on a kiwi for example but you see these and other protected creatures in museums.

Do this with a classmate. Work out some special circumstances that would allow a taxidermist to work on a protected animal. Work out a set of rules that you think taxidermists should follow when deciding whether to accept a dead creature for processing.

Nice foot!

This part of the story is a little unusual. A lady at a Women's Division meeting nearly fainted when the writer Virginia Winder described this foot in a speech. Read on to find out what it is all about.

Now that's interesting! What if you were a taxidermist? Would you preserve a body bit for a client? All the other taxidermists told the client he was crazy.

What about freeze drying a dead pet? An Auckland couple will get back a dead cat that looks as if it is alive. Would you like to keep one of your pets in this way?

Talk these things over with a classmate.

Frozen detail!

All the organs are taken out in traditional taxidermy but they are all left in when an animal is freeze dried. That's the difference. "Read Freeze dry detail" and see what other advantages freeze drying has over traditional taxidermy.

Cook's kiwi

Read on to discover how important stuffed animals are. Read the next two parts of the story called "Glimpse of Canada" and "The importance of stuffed animals". Take special note of what Puke Ariki historian, Ron Lambert says about taxidermy and the Puke Ariki collection.

Imagine Captain Cook on his creature gathering expedition in 1769. Some present day animals hadn't even arrived in New Zealand by 1769. The populations of other creatures were much higher. Captain Cook was a sailor so plan his expedition for him. Plan in pairs or in a small group.

1. List the five most important creatures you believe the captain should gather.

2. List three cunning plans for catching at least three of your creatures. Include the time of the day the captain and his men should set out.

3. List some essential equipment for the expedition.

Sci fi business

The freeze drier is a high-tech machine and Richard has two of them. Read the part called "Embracing sci-fi technique" and look for the advantage that freeze drying will offer future scientists.

If you want to know more about freeze drying look here.

Richard is an expert at both traditional taxidermy and freeze drying. Design his business card. Make up a business name, logo and slogan. Add a clever email address and phone number and set it all out on a business card that catches the eye. You may like to add an illustration.

Growling and Howling

Have you ever seen the Far Side cartoons? Cartoonist Gary Larsen twists all sorts of situations into very funny jokes. Far Side cartoons are published in The Taranaki Daily News.

Read "Growling and Howling" and then write the caption to go with the cartoon above. You could have a Far Side joke of your own.

Want a burger?

Finish the story now and find out why the author didn't feel like finishing her lunch. What about you? Would you have been a hungry researcher by now?

Fast Forward. The Frozen Ark

Britain's Frozen Ark project works with animals too. It will preserve animal "life codes" even after their species have become extinct.  Read all about it here or read the summary below.

A tissue bank will store genetic material from thousands of endangered animals so future generations of scientists can understand long lost creatures.

Scientists say animals may be disappearing from our planet at a very high rate. Over the next 30 years, a quarter of all known mammals and a tenth of all recorded bird species could die out because of rapid climate change and habitat loss. All sorts of insects, worms and spiders are also at risk.

All this means that 10,000 animal species are endangered and no one knows for sure just how important they are to the web of life. We do know that when the last one dies a whole lot of information disappears with it.

The Frozen Ark project hopes to save a "back-up" copy of thousands of species before they are lost. Their genetic codes or DNA will be stored in a frozen database so future scientists can find out all about them.

This means that tissue samples, like a little piece of skin will be taken from the bigger endangered animals. It may mean taking the whole creature for tiny things like insects. These samples will be transported to a Frozen Ark bank and stored at extremely low temperatures for tens of thousands of years, or more.

The project began by picking animals that could die out in the next five years. That didn't just mean the cute and cuddly. The damp and slimy creatures are just as important. The project patron, Sir Crispen Tickell said "I think Noah would be very proud of this project."

Frozen Ark sites

What if you were in charge of this project? Would you have more than one  Frozen Ark? Where would they be?

Make a decision with a classmate and then talk about your choice with the other pairs.

Answers

Rewind

1. True. Some people are nervous about this kind of transport but cars have arrived!

2. False.  In 1900 53% of New Zealanders still live in rural areas, but this is changing quickly.

3. True. That happened in 1904.

4. True and it began operating outside the Post Office in Wellington in 1905.

5. True. That happened in 1903.

Click to go back to the questions.

Word Watch

1b, 2a, 3b, 4b, 5a, 6a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 10b

Click to go back to the questions.