Dead black bear to be stuffed,preserved in museum

Zoo veterinarian Dr Sanjay Thripati said,“We are stuffing and preserving these animal structures so that when we finally have our taxidermy museum,the animals can be displayed there for educational purpose. The stuffed animals will give visitors a good chance to take a close look at the animal anatomy and understand it.” Incidentally,Himalayan Black bears are vulnerable species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature list.

According to taxidermist Dr Sanjay Gaikwad,who is currently stuffing an elephant,besides the zoo python,leopard and the bear,“The process of taxidermy involves skinning,tanning,applying preservative and finally rebuilding the animal form to the last detail with casting and restoring skeletons. The whole process usually takes about two-and-a-half to three months.” Gaikwad added that typically the taxidermy of a leopard or a large cat costs around Rs 40,000 while for an elephants the cost comes around Rs 65,000.

Zoo vet Thripati said once the animal stuffing is ready,they will be kept in the taxidermy centre at the SGNP till the zoo museum is constructed.

Snow leopard to be preserved too
Taxidermist Dr Sanjay Gaikwad is also working on an unusual species,an endangered Snow leopard,which was brought from an Uttarakhand zoo last week. “The zoo officials contacted me and requested me to preserve the only snow leopard in their zoo which died of old age recently. Last week,I visited Nainital to pick up the carcass. I’ve already started working on the leopard and the animal trophy should be ready by August,” Gaikwad said. ENS