Honoring a Tradition of Flesh & Bone
While most mammals are processed with
a very similar method, Eddie said reptiles
are a little different as far as the preservation
method is concerned.
“Alligators are even different from other
reptiles,” he said. “They are the most popular
animal that I do now. Years ago, the
most popular mounts would have been fi sh,
but now they are done as fi berglass reproductions
so they can be released, alive. It’s
interesting to me that from one group of
animals to another there are differences. All
are skinned and cleaned and preserved,
though, and the skins are put on a model. I’m
just glad that there is still a strong network
of taxidermists around the world who work
hard to innovate and grow the industry.”
Kelly Reark grew up around Boca Grande,
and lived in a house full of mounts. Her
family tree is full of hunters and anglers,
and they love knowing where their food
came from. Hunting is a family bonding
experience, where father and daughter,
brother and sister, can be in the woods with a
common mission – to bring home the bacon
and to enjoy nature in a way that mankind
has done since prehistoric times.
“Taxidermy has always been there, all
around me,” she said. “I never gave it much
thought as being weird, it was just a normal
part of life. There wasn’t all the social media
back then, or the social stigma, to give us
a lot of grief about it. Some people look at
them and want to know how we could hang
a dead animal on our wall. Other people,
mostly hunters, just get it. When you look at
that mount you remember what the woods
looked like that day, how hot or cold it was,
how the sun was shining on the leaves, not
to mention how much effort was put into that
hunt for months prior. That animal brought
meat to our family. Even now, if we get a deer
it can last us for six months. It’s a huge boon
to us.”
Kelly said she is aware that there are more
unethical hunters, who strictly want a wall
ornament, but even then there is value in that
kill.
“I know there are people who hunt just
for the trophy mount. I’m not totally on
board with that, but I kind of understand,”
she admitted. “Taxidermy mounts are super
important in the fact it might be the only time
you get to see that animal up close, and not
a quarter-mile away in the woods or in a zoo.
I remember once I was teaching my kids
about Tasmanian tigers, and if there were no
mounts we would never know exactly what
these creatures looked like. There would be a
few black and white scratchy photos, but with
a mount you can see every detail. You know
exactly what they looked like.”
Coming from generations of fi shermen
who have countless pictures showing their
catch hung up at the docks, which used to be
60 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • September/October • 2020