Dynamic Duo: The Taxidermist and the Tannery

 When I hired into a tannery at the start of the year, I didn't know what to expect. Dead animals, preservation, stuffing? I had no idea. And yet within short order the previously strange and misunderstood subject had begun to make sense. I discovered two things I didn't expect.

If taxidermy is art, then tanning is the canvas.

Taxidermists aren't just people who play with dead animals. They are artists, sculptors and poets. They are curators in the museum of the natural world, giving all of us something that a picture could never capture. Which brings me to my next discovery.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than a beautiful mount is worth a million.

Underlying all of this of course is the tan. Without tanning the skin will decompose. The chemical processes to stop the deterioration are necessary felle gerben if an exhibit is to last more than a few weeks. The science behind all of this of course is complex, but its roots go back to time immemorial. Shortly after God gave man dominion over the animals, man had to figure out a way to stay warm. Somewhere beyond Eden, man began working with animal hides.

Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26

Thousands of years later, even with all of our science and technology, computer animation still can't outperform the teamwork of the tannery and the taxidermist. The three dimensional artwork that you make has never been duplicated, nor will it ever be.

As stated above, a good tannery is an essential asset to a taxidermist. But how do they know what to look for in a tannery?

Historically, hide tanning goes back to antiquity. The ancient Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks all had various methods for tanning. One of the earliest written accounts of tanning is found in Homer's The Illiad. (circa 800 BC)

"The ox hide, which is soaked in fat, is pulled to and fro by men standing in a circle, thus stretching the skin and causing the fat to penetrate into the pores."

Naturally the modern incarnation of tanning is far more sophisticated. Chemical and scientific advances have made tanning far more efficient and precise than those of our ancestors. While the originators of tanning used brain fat and other primitive methods for tanning, the modern tanner uses acids, degreasers, salts, fat liquors, etc.

In choosing a modern tannery one would look for an experienced and efficient master of tanning with a quick turnaround time. They would be able to handle skins from around the world, e.g. Asiatic, North American, African, etc. and produce a pliable, quality, long lasting leather.

Other factors a taxidermist might look for would be the strength of the tannery's customer service, reliability and consistency of work quality.