Taxidermy is a dying practice. Most people frown upon the concept, which is due to their misconception. Taxidermy is much more than stuffing the skin of an animal with chopped wheat stalks. It is an art form that requires dedication and love.
One man in Karachi, Muhammad Irfan, has managed to keep the art of taxidermy alive with his beautiful concepts.
The 63-year-old master taxidermist shared his experience in an interview with Arab News.
“Look at this deer and fawn, I have shown a mother feeding her child while keeping a vigilant eye out for the predator. I saw it once in National Geographic,” he told Arab News.
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The taxidermy mount was filled with thermocol sheets, while the deer’s face and its original bones were used. The bones were boiled and cleaned, and the animal will now remain intact for around 50 years or more.
“To mount a deer takes at least 45 days, and if it’s done with the same technique commercially, the taxidermist would charge at least Rs 80,000.” Irfan said.
The experienced taxidermist developed the love for this type of art when he was 15. He joined the Sindh Wildlife Department back in 1983 and has been part of the department ever since.
“I was reading books on taxidermy, looking at pictures, and then I tried to follow. When I failed, I tried again. Finally, I learned how to mount an animal like it is being done aboard,” he said.
Though he never received a formal education, Irfan believes that taxidermy should taught around schools in Pakistan. Unfortunately, there are very few master taxidermists in Pakistan left to teach this dying art as many other experts have already left the country.
“The reason we engaged Irfan after his retirement was because he is a master of the art and because we had no alternatives. There is no expert of his level at least in this province,” – Sindh Wildlife Department’s chief Javed Mahar
Javed Mahar, the Sindh Wildlife Department’s chief, said Irfan retired in 2016, but his services are still needed because a new museum exhibition will soon be opened. Although by law the museum is permitted to kill for the sake of its collection, it nonetheless has adopted a no-kill policy. Because of this reason, all mounts are made from animals that died of natural causes.
The Sindh Wildlife Museum, situated in the British-era Freemasons Lodge Building in Karachi, was established in the early 1980s, but over the years it has fallen into neglect. Works to restore its collection started several years ago and now are almost complete.
The museum will display around 75 species of the province’s wildlife. Thirty of them will represent 322 birds found in Sindh, 25 will represent its 107 reptiles, and 20 the province’s 82 mammals. Be sure to visit for their new opening and experience the beauty of taxidermy in person.
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via ArabNews
