How to Stuff an Animal

1. Choose a Subject
First, find your animal. I like to get them when they’ve died of natural causes. It’s much better Karma. If an animal’s been scared to death, shot to pieces or run over by a truck, it usually looks pretty weird. Phone the local farms, safari parks or zoos. Also, taxidermy is a great way to keep alive the memory of a beloved pet.

2. Gut and Skin
This is a messy job, as you have to hollow out the insides before drying the skin. Make a slit from the head to the behind and remove everything. Gently flush the cavity with a hose to ensure that it’s clean. If you’re squeamish, just close your eyes. Lay the skin out on a table to dry. This will take a while so grab a coffee while you wait.

3. Fill the Insides
After the skin’s dry (and cured with a preservative), make a mold of the animal with polyurethane foam. If it’s hollow foam, fill it with beads, feathers or dried rice. (Once I used other dead animals.) Next, soak the skin to loosen it and stretch it over the mold. This requires patience, glue and a lot of sewing.

4. Mount
An oak, birch or maple mount is fine. Recently though, I’ve been putting them on wheels. Little rubber go-cart wheels. This works well if they’re frozen into convincing, lifelike poses, especially when they’re going downhill. Customize with neon underlighting, spoilers, spray paint and sequins for a Pimp My Rhino look.