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Taxidermy; Students Creating Skin Dolls

Science Teacher Hygrell’s biology class has an assignment where students skin a tiny squirrel and turn it into a skin doll. Don’t believe me? The evidence is there as there is an abundance of taxidermic animals within Mr. Hygrell’s classroom. Hygrell has said that the animals come from students, staff, and other places, like the DNR. The animals themselves either come from hunting trips, or simply found by the side of the road.

The process for making a taxidermic animal is reportedly very hard and long to describe. The rough idea of the whole process is to remove the skin from the rest of the animal without damaging it and to sew up the injuries. Next would be to preserve the skin, so it doesn’t stink and rot away. After that, the next step would be to simply slip the cured pelt over a frame of the animal. The animals usually are put into a glass case or something similar so that students don’t accidentally wreck them.

You may be thinking “Why? Why would anyone put a dead stuffed animal anywhere?” and the answer is simple, it shows students about the many different animals that live within Minnesota. They also allow for a closer look at animals without the fear of attack. Hygrell has also said that he uses them in some of the classes he teaches.

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Brian Irwin

Does things occasionally.

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