Dr Santosh Gaikwad, 42, is the only practicing wildlife taxidermist in India who has preserved everything from birds to mammals to fish. Preserving them is an art that is dying its own death. Dr Gaikwad speaks to Ateeq Shaikh on how the art itself needs to be preserved.
What pulled you towards taxidermy?
One of the visits to the former Prince of Wales Museum in 2003. The specimens kept in the natural history section got registered in my sub-conscious. The willingness and curiosity is the same as it was in the year 2003.
As there isn't a formal course in India, how did you learn the art of taxidermy?
It was self-taught. Taxidermy requires knowledge of anatomy, painting and sculpting. Being a vet, I already had knowledge of anatomy. Later, I learned sculpting and painting to fine-tune the knowledge and practiced on chicken, pigeons, fish, etc.
How many specimens from across India have you preserved till date?
There have been plenty. Around 200 birds, 100 fish, 9 big cats (including India's last Siberian tiger), one elephant head, a mule, a soft shell turtle, a Himalayan Black Bear and a few reptiles, etc. Currently, the zoo in Nainital has sent over four specimens that need to be preserved. Usually people say that it is just a body, but I never call it that. It is a national resource.
Are there any other taxidermists in India?
There are four regional natural history museums at various locations of India, each of these museums have taxidermists. But they only maintain existing specimens that have been kept in the museums, they are not into stuffing wildlife to preserve for 70-80 years to come.
What is the future of taxidermy in India?
This art is sadly vanishing in India. There isn't any formal education in the mainstream courses. But there is provision in the Indian Wildlife Act that mentions the need to preserve birds, mammals, animals, etc for educational purposes. A policy decision is needed to get people to learn and practice taxidermy by including it in zoology.
What about workshops and trainings?
In June, the state forest department had organised a workshop wherein I asked participants to practice on a chicken. The Nainital Zoo also asked to train two of its staff, who had come down to Mumbai. City colleges invite me for guest lectures, where students are curious to know more about the subject. People ask me what qualification are needed to become taxidermist, I always reply that interest is the only qualification.
Have any students of zoology approached you for internship or to assist you?
No students from India or Mumbai have approached me, but sometime ago there were two German students who showed interest in interning. Later I explained to them how I function after my working hours as a professor and utilising my weekly offs and holidays instead of six days a week. But it didn't work out. Hope the taxidermy centre inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park does not shut after I stop practicing it. I want this art to be there forever.
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