What to do with your pet after it dies?
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| Roborovski Dwarf Hamster |
.... its a question that many of us have pondered at one point or other in our lives.
Usually the choice is between a burial in the garden, a pet cemetery, or a cremation (or 'burial at sea' as our gold fish got down the toilet), with perhaps a photo on the mantelpiece (or for the more wealthy a painted pet portrait in oils, hanging on the walls - I used to know a lady who did these for a living!!).
So when 27 year old Jess Porter-Langson's beloved pet roborovski dwarf hamster 'Hammington' aka 'Hammy', died on August 27 2023 .... "He passed away in his sleep just of old age. A good way to go. Not like flying into a blender or something like some peoples hamsters." But she was still faced with choices above, or something else.
After a few minutes reflection she decided that Hammy was to remain with her, and paid £175 ($230) to have Hammy stuffed by a local taxidermist. The question was what pose? Lifelike in a pet cage, on a spinning wheel perhaps, or maybe in a diorama, with Hammy running free in the wild? .... No, not good enough .... She had owned him for 3 years ... "He was a big part of my formative life .... he needed something special."
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| Hammington Immortalised |
So, she had him stuffed as a stripper wearing a bright pink thong, and dancing round a stripper pole, surrounded by money ......
Florence Nightingale had her pet owl stuffed. Empress Josephine had her pet orangutan stuffed. Charles Darwin had his pet raven Grip stuffed.
ReplyDeleteBut none were strippers.
Pet Orangutans were unusual in the mid 19th century and must have been quite an attraction.
DeleteI didn't know there was so many stuffed celebrity pets. Thanks for the comments both of you.
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