Stuff act to follow

Gaikwad said when the British ruled India,the British taxidermists created many specimens that are preserved in the museum. “The animals were so life-like that if they were kept outside in the garden,they would scare people,” Gaikwad said.

Gaikwad started by first experimenting with dead hen he picked up from a poultry farm. “I would put them in the freezer. My family was not pleased,but I had no option then,” Gaikwad said. He now has a separate deep-freezer for the purpose at his Andheri (East) home.

It took about 30-40 hens for Gaikwad to perfect the skill of skinning with a mid-ventral incision without damaging skin or feathers. It took another 20-25 samples to learn how to mount an animal on anatomical wires.

After the skinning process,the flesh attached to the skin is removed and the skin tanned. The process takes about a week so that the preserved skin can last up to 80-90 years.

The skinless body of the animal is then measured and the flesh removed. The skeleton is cleaned and erected on scaffolding. “At this stage,you can decide the pose you want the animal to be preserved in,” Gaikwad said.

A clay model is made and a duplicate fibreglass cast prepared using moulds. It is polished and the tanned skin is mounted on the duplicate cast. Finishing touches are given with eyes of glass,tongue of wax and acrylic teeth. “After the eyes are in place,the animal almost comes back to life,” Gaikwad said.

Gaikwad,who shut his veterinary clinic to pursue taxidermy,said ideally it should not take more than a month and a half to finish a specimen but as he works only in the evenings and Sundays,he takes up to eight months to complete the task.

The animals revived by Gaikwad are preserved in zoos and parks across the country. These include a leopard that was euthanised at the Byculla zoo,lioness Maya,Shiva,a Bengal tiger,a 6.3-ft narrow-head turtle found in the Bhima river,lobsters,a 12-ft python,an alligator and most recently,a peacock that was installed at Raj Bhavan. He says that he has preserved over 150 birds,including vultures and sparrows. He also preserved the last Siberian tiger in India,which is on display at Nainital Zoo in Uttarakhand.

Gaikwad is often invited to speak on taxidermy at various institutes. “The response from the younger generation is encouraging. But we don’t have taxidermy schools like they have abroad.”