The Big Argument Taxidermy and Hunting

To be edited, changed around, updated, etc.
Written from observation through controversy and points. If there is anything you think I should change or edit, note me.


This was written to educate and help others understand our views and points to this controversy.
It was not written to spark arguments but to be read and thought about.

The Big Argument

There has been controversy for a while now regarding animal welfare. Whether furs and taxidermy were acceptable or not and whether or not to should stand up against hunting. I want to put you in perspective of accepting both and why it is okay to.

Going Natural

While you may think you've done well keeping away from using animal products to help save the animals, you may not be all that is gold, many are in disguise.

Because it is recognizable in it's true form does not mean it doesn't exist anywhere else. Did you ever stop to think where your clothes come from? How about those amazing boots you just got? Some clothes and many other every day items are made from some kind of animal product. Wool from sheep, yarns from rabbit or goat, leather from cows. But that's okay, you wanna know why?

Animal fur is safer than synthetic fur. Synthetic furs are made out of plastic. Plastic emits harmful pollution to produce plastic in factories. Plastics cannot be properly or safely disposed of because it cannot decompose. It has been known to cause diseases including cancer and even the causing factor of some fatalities. Furs can decompose, and although preserved through a process to make them last, they still naturally begin to decompose. So don't be afraid to buy that nice animal leather jacket you saw last week! Support a green and healthy ecosystem!

Food is essential, right? Well how about where it comes from? And what are you really eating? All the talk right now is about GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Animals that have been hand picked and specifically bred then fed steroids and antibiotics. Have you seen that commercial recently with the slogan, "You are what you eat, eat"? Modified foods and antibiotics fed to these animals can cause concerns and raise eyebrows to human health. You could be eating things not meant for human consumption or maybe your body has become immune to the antibiotics that animal was fed, no longer allowing certain medications to work in your system. There are numerous things we are unaware of that are being fed to the food we eat and many more that could potentially cause harm to us. So don't be afraid to support your local farmers and hunters. Don't be afraid to be in control of what you eat rather than buying blindly from a grocery store. Hunting for your own food could save you a trip to the doctor and help to stop promoting businesses that do not care for the animals well being.

Animal Welfare and Hunting

Most animals do not live their full life expectancy in the wild. Wishing a natural death upon an animal does not always mean a pleasant one. Animals die naturally each day from diseases like distemper and rabies, fatal accidents like drowning and falling, becoming live food for another animal, emaciation, not being able to properly survive due to old age, etc. Death is inevitable in all ways, even if it isn't a peaceful one. But that should make you think. When hunting, animals are not aware that they are being hunted. Being unaware and properly hunted, their death is quick and painless. Much more peaceful than one where they suffered.

Eco-systems depend on population. Too many predators or too many prey in an environment can cause complications. If there are too many predators, populations of prey will decline drastically, meaning the environment will become over grown and the predators will soon run out of food. If there are too many prey, they can cause a drastic decline in forestation and will begin suffering vegetation and food loss. Introducing new species to lands or animals wandering onto new terratory that they are not native to can also have a negative affect like changing the order of the food chain and causing confusion in the balance of that ecosystem. Many of these animals are considered nuisance and in order to create balance and ensure welfare for all animals, many Wildlife Wardens and licensed hunters take action to reduce over-population through hunting and other humane tactics.

We understand the limitations of hunting. There are many strict laws you must abide by and adhere to or else given heavy punishments such as being arrested or facing fines from $1,000-$50,000+. These laws were set in motion to assure that there is no over-hunting for the welfare of the animals. There are no endangered species on the list that are able to be hunted. Most animals that are either endangered or illegal have laws telling you that you are not allowed to own that animal unless it was taxidermied pre-ban (the time period it was legal) or have died naturally and were tagged to permit the ownership of it. If we didn't respect animals and other peoples views, we wouldn't have these laws and animals would be free game at the hand of humans.

Animal control and wardens are always on hand. When called to a scene where an animal was hunted unethically, they may take it into investigation. Treated just like any crime scene, they do their best to find the perpetrator and give them proper punishment for their acts. The animals they find are typically not wasted either. If safe for human consumption, most will donate the meat to places like homeless shelters. Otherwise, they gladly leave it for scavenger species to pick off of. After completing their investigation, of course.

It is true that many farms hunt to save their livestock but they are not permitted to unless they own proper tags and a license. Laws still recognize that illegal killing means fines and bans unless the animal was a true threat to their own life. That means that any wrong killing of any animal is punishable by law, but if killed under their own rights, it wasn't unlawful.

Hunting has been a common practice for years. To be against hunting is like saying you were against the very survival of humanity. Your ancestors hunted. They hunted to eat, they wore fur to keep warm, they lived in homes wrapped in leather, they used bones for weapons. The existence of man depended on its survival. We were not equipped properly to hunt entirely bare-handed, but instead our minds allowed us to create tools for the task that proved much more humane. We created self defense and instead our intelligence presented us with the opportunity to be above the predator and not become the prey. Our very being depended on it and look where we are today.

Furs and Taxidermy

Not all furs obtained come from hunting. Many animals die naturally and are preserved for many reasons. Zoos are top contributors to obtaining rare species and pelts. Many of their animals die naturally and are bought legally to be preserved. That money goes back into feeding and taking care of their other resident animals. Most animals are not killed for the purpose of taxidermy. While some fur farms sell to clothing and garment businesses and hunters have their hunts mounted, it is not typically done to be used for taxidermy. Some taxidermists only do just that, create an art with the skin of an animal and don't hunt themselves or even support hunting. Taxidermy is truly defined as an art, nothing more, nothing less. Laws recognize that they should not be wasted. If it is tanned, it is legal (unless otherwise stated) to own and be used. Why waste?

We are animal lovers too! Taxidermy and leatherwork was created in a way to preserve something that was once beautiful in life into the years after. We find that it is a better use rather than leaving them to rot and waste. What we do is driven by passion and love, not illness and hate. Taxidermy can create preservation of an animals fur or skin and is considered an art. This art can be used to help educate people better about an animal by allowing them to get up close and personal with an animal you otherwise would not be able to experience up close and personal alive. It is an educational experience that brings people to become more interested and intrigued about an animal, driving them to want to help out animals even more.

Taxidermied animals are often displayed in museums and even zoos. It is a great way to display an animal or specie that may possibly even become extinct in the future and we only hope it makes people want to create a better world for animals as well. It is a lengthy process. If we didn't believe it was essential, it would simply not exist or become a job.

Farm raised animals are treated well. Most farms choose to put their animals down through lethal injection, most times of which are because of reasons that are natural. These animals are treated with care. They are fed well and given proper space and homes to roam around. We recognize that there are some farms that treat their animals unethically, but we must understand that those numbers are few and very unlikely. It is in no way beneficial to a fur farmer to have a dirty, emaciated, and otherwise unhealthy fox. They are not skinned alive as this would prove both difficult and again, not beneficial to the farmer. This is also something almost unheard of and falsely labeled on proper farmers. We can admit that not all farmers or hunters are pleasant with their actions and only supporting the ones that take the extra measures to care and respect these animals will and can make a difference.

Preservation is not only used on animals. Mummification of humans is one of the oldest forms of preservation. Today we use chemicals to preserve human bodies for funeral purposes and to be buried. You might have even signed up for your body to be donated to The Human Body Exhibit, also known as Bodies The Exhibition and The Body World, which displays real human bodies and parts preserved through a process known as "Plastination". It was created for educational purposes and travels state to state to better educate those with the curiosity about the human body.

Education is key to the future.

Spirituality

Many people believe that animals bring them spiritual guidance, protection, and even luck. Hunted, but thanked for its sacrifice that gave that person what it did, whether it be a food or fur. Appreciated deeply both physically and emotionally. It can leave an impact on your life and bring you into a whole new world of perspective.

Respect and Appreciation

We understand and respect all opinions and choices, we only hope you do the same. We respect and love animals just like you do. We don't support abuse or advocate anything but preservation and education. It will always be an ongoing argument between differing opinions. We do not expect anything more than understanding in light of acceptance. It is nature and nature is holistically natural. We welcome you with open arms to curiosity and education.


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Thank you kindly for stopping by and reading. I hope this gave you a whole new perspective on things and helped you understand what we are all about. Feel free to use this journal to help others understand as well.



As always.