Stuffed Stuff

The Real Deal

Ok, so I know this isn’t the clearest photo in the world, but I wanted to give you an idea of the strangeness of this taxidermy display at Tenby Museum in Wales. As you can see, it’s in a little alcove full of seashore wildlife, the doorway of which is covered by the sort of curtain you get in butcher’s shops, and with a laminated sign above, for any visitors unsure of what they were looking at.

Actually, while I was looking at the display I did overhear two children having a classic conversation about the ‘realness’ of the animals. The little girl (aged around 6) insisted they were real, while her slightly older brother insisted they weren’t. The conversation stood out for me due to the originality of the girl’s reasoning: 

“They are real,” she said, “but their owner is being paid by the museum to make them stay still.”