“Bad Taxidermy”: 35 Examples Of Taxidermy That’s So Horrific It’s Funny

We managed to contact the administrators and moderators of 'Bad Taxidermy' and they were kind enough to tell us more about the group.

"We are five admins to 475k members within our community (as of 13/01/2023) where we proficiently conquer and divide a list of various tasks," one of the administrators, Vereance, explained to Bored Panda.

"It is not uncommon for each admin to spend 1-3 hours on their duties of moderation per week."

During this time, Vereance and her four teammates (Abby, Claire, Jack, and Tiffany) manually approve or decline each post that is published within the group, and they do that by measuring it against the group's rules and Facebook's policies. 

"We tend to all reported content (for example, spam bots and member conflict) and reply to individualized messages. Our team is a well-knit group of friends," she added.

"As a traditional form of art, specimens would be provided to taxidermists (often situated) in museums and the taxidermist would need to imagine how the animal would appear within the wild," Vereance highlighted.

"You can imagine how different the specimen would eventuate to appear. For instance, the Lion of Gripsholm Castle was commissioned for King Frederick I of Sweden in 1731, and the taxidermist worked on little information as to what a lion actually looked like. These days, 'Bad Taxidermy' originates from some hopeful artists whose skills are a Frankenstein in progress."

Taxidermy in America today is an $800 million industry that employs more than 6,000 people, and this online community helps us appreciate them. "The group brings a morbid topic (death) together with humor and art, administrator Abby said. "Showcasing bad taxidermy really brings into perspective the talent of professional taxidermists. 

"Bringing what is still an obscure topic to the mainstream creates a better understanding of the craft and perhaps even inspires artists to think outside the box of traditional taxidermy. At the end of the day, it's an art form just like anything else, except no matter how good or bad you are at it, you're a winner. Or maybe, regardless of whether you're exceptionally good, or exceptionally bad, you're still a winner," she said, adding that taxidermy is all about respecting life and reminding that sometimes art doesn't go according to plan.

Jack, another member of the administrator and moderator team, agrees. "'Bad Taxidermy' seems to be a way to make people more accepting of [the craft itself], people that wouldn't usually want anything to do with it."

"It's difficult to argue the necessity for a dead deer's head on your wall, but when you've got a practical element like a rat pencil case, rabbit toaster, or remote-controlled cat drone, it's easier to understand their appeal."

The practice of taxidermy began in Europe at the junction of the 16th and 17th centuries as a means of preserving specimens collected by world-traveling explorers.

Oftentimes, these specimens would become part of a rich collector's "cabinet of curiosities," providing a dash of wonder and mystery to viewers who knew nothing of the far reaches of the world.

Before color photography and the growth in leisure travel, taxidermy specimens allowed scientists, naturalists, collectors, and other curious folks to study life-like 3D representations of animals they otherwise would have never seen.

Now, experts think that taxidermy is making a comeback largely due to the fact that people really want to get back in touch with the natural world.

"I think people have been insulated from animal specimens for so long, that when someone picks up a bone or skull, they are completely knocked out by it, by what an incredible, wonderful thing it is," Pat Morris, the author of A History of Taxidermy: Art, Science, and Bad Taste told The Smithsonian. "The same goes for a dead bird ... when it is physically in your hand, you want to preserve it ... it becomes special."

And communities like 'Bad Taxidermy' really help!