- Address: PO Box 21068, Windhoek, Namibia
- Opening hours: Mon-Fri 06: 30-18: 00, Sat-Sun 09: 00-17: 00
- Phone: + 264 (61) 232236, +264 (61) 220862, +264 (85) 5547579
A few kilometers from the capital of Namibia, the city of Windhoek , is the taxidermy hall, which is one of the most remarkable and unusual museums in the country. There are almost 6000 stuffed animals of the species that live in the territory of this African state.
Taxidermy features in Namibia
This kind of art originated many centuries ago. Until now, scientists have found archeological artifacts that confirm that a man has learned to make stuffed animals a millennium ago. Despite the active work of environmentalists, a large number of factories scattered around the world are still engaged in mass production of stuffed animals. One of them is the taxidermy hall in Namibia .
In this country, taxidermist activities are legal, and their services are in great demand. Most often, tourists from European and American countries turn to them, ready to give large sums of money (up to $ 75,000) for hunt safaris and put their prey on a scarecrow. As the locals say: "If you have money, we'll take the skin off anyone."
The activity of the taxidermy hall
This factory employs 45 specialists engaged in dressing skins and cutting meat. The process of manufacturing stuffed animals in the taxidermy hall consists of the following stages:
- removal of the skin from the carcass of the animal;
- fabrication and polishing of the foam plastic form, corresponding to the parameters of the animal;
- stuffing the resulting figure with a thick liquid foam;
- manual stitching of the skin;
- fixation of glass eyes;
- masking defects on the finished product.
At the request of the client, specialists in the taxidermy hall can produce from raw materials and other products - a carpet made of lion skin, a wall panel made from the head of a roe deer, a zebra leather cover and many other decorative objects.
The most expensive animal, from which you can make a scarecrow, is an elephant. Hunters are ready to give up to $ 40 000 for it. The cheapest is the stuffed crocodile, the cost of which depends on its footage. Besides them, in the taxidermy hall you can see stuffed rhinoceroses, large predatory cats and giraffes. At the factory there are many other forms and patterns, with which you can meet the wishes of each hunter for trophies.
The popularity of the taxidermy hall
Services for making stuffed animals are very popular among hunters from Western countries. Every week dozens of wealthy tourists come to the taxidermy hall, who change into a khaki safari uniform and go hunting in private reserves. The area of 5000 hectares inhabited by a lot of wild animals, which gives great opportunities for hunters for trophies. The cost of safari is at least $ 7,500, but for foreigners coming here, money is not a hindrance. Delivery of the finished scarecrow to America or Europe is also carried out at the expense of the client.
How to get to the taxidermy hall?
In order to see a collection of stuffed Namibian animals, you need to go to the city of Windhoek . Taxidermy Hall is located about 20 km from the capital. You can get to it only by car. For this, you need to drive 17.8 km to the east on the B6 road towards the Windhoek Hosei Kutako International Airport . Then turn north on the road D1527, drive 500 m along it and drive to the country road. After 1.5 km you can reach the building where the taxidermy hall is located.