A Lackadaisical Stuffed Giraffe

Roger is the star at a shop in Redfern, Seasonal Concepts, which has some exceptional taxidermy amongst the semi-antiques. Ken and TR report that he died a natural death at Taronga Zoo before being recycled as a lackadaisical stuffed giraffe.

Many finely preserved animal heads are on display, trophies of an Australian hunter-collector in the 1950s-60s.

Ken says you need a seriously large room to display even one. Some of the heads (stag, addax, gazelle, etc) have an overwhelming presence. We cannot get as close as this to living animals even in a zoo. Looking at the immaculate reincarnations we tease ourselves with fright and stand our ground. The wild stares back at us through unfamiliar masks. We have evolved from hunter gatherers to hunter collectors.


A mean-looking coyote growls lasciviously.*

(* synonymous with lustful or lewd or unruly. Good word, lascivious, but maybe he's just hungry)