Allis_Markham

Nope!

I love hunters. I've been hunting. Hunting is the truest form of free-range. I love eating meat that has had a life outdoors and free, rather than in a cage or on a farm --and I eat this way as much as I can. I even order deer, antelope and wild boar from a ranch in Texas that hunts on about 500 acres.

As for exotic animal hunters and big game hunters, it's not my thing but sometimes these people serve a great purpose and help the animals. Stay with me here: It costs tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to hunt an animal in most African countries. That money helps preserve those lands and protect the animals from being wiped out by poachers. So, you might think it's evil, but it is a necessary one. I can't really argue with that. And, if someone wants it on their wall, that's up to them to. I'm just manning my own farm over here, so to speak.

Good question. Well, the coolest for me was working on skinning a tiger pretty recently for the museum. Just to be able to be that close and also see how large and strong he was. I felt so much respect for that animal. Here is a photo of my hand against his powerful jaws. http://imgur.com/c9Prf9E

The weirdest? Probably pocket gophers. Even though they seem quite common, they have the strangest weird cheeks-- getting those right is a pain. Also, Koalas have strange skull shapes.

Reptiles are delicate but can easily be done as skin mounts. We don't fully tan the skin, but do what's called an 'acid pickle' to set them. The ones you see in formaldehyde are called 'alcoholics'. They're the second kind of museum alcoholic. I'm the first.

Great (and very specific) question! I love it... Well, if a skin has residual fat or flesh on it, it is attractive to pests like beetles, ants, mites and even bacteria. It'll basically get eaten/rot over time. Also, if she's not tanning them (the chemical process of turning skin into leather) then you can probably expect the same. Its very important to remove anything than can become food for pests and then to treat the skin properly before it's sold. Otherwise, the product is just deteriorating over time and not really clean to have around.

Edit: More gross details