Mario Slabbert (48) has been in this industry for 21 years and says being a taxidermist consists of a wide range of stages that need to be completed before the end result.
Taxidermy is the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals with lifelike effect.
“Taxidermy originated many years ago so that the people’s descendants could see how certain animals looked,” explains Slabbert.
“More recently, it started in England with royalty showing off their trophies.”
Slabbert is the owner of a local taxidermy business in Nuffield and says that they can create many items.
“It’s not only preserving animals, but also making various items such as wallets, carvings, wall clocks and many other things,” says Slabbert.
To be a taxidermist, one must be artistic and it’s not a job for everybody.
“You have to be proficient in art and have a love for animals and nature,” says Slabbert.
Slabbert advises students who would be interested in this career, to give specific attention to biology as a subject.
After they leave school, they must do practical work at a taxidermist for about 18 months, depending on how fast they learn.
There are many career opportunities in taxidermy and the profession can open many doors, even leading the way to becoming a professional hunter.
“There are of course negatives and positives to every job, but it’s definitely worth it,” he says.
According to Slabbert, the positives are being in nature, travelling frequently, meeting people from over the world and “the money isn’t too bad”.
The negatives are that work may be done for a client who never shows up to collect it.It also takes anything between six to 12 months, depending on the size of the animal, to complete a project, which is a long time to wait to be paid.
An entry level taxidermist can earn between R5 000 to R6 000 per month.
Slabbert adds that after they have done their training, they have to go to the Taxidermy Association of South Africa to officially qualify.
This costs the trainee more or less R5 000.
“I am currently on the look-out for trainees to start at my taxidermy next year,” Slabbert says.
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