LION

The Lion (Panthera leo) is the second largest cat in the world. They are easy to recognise thanks to their light brown coloured coat and manes. Only the males have big manes. They are very social animals and live in prides of up to 30 lions.The male lions spend their time guarding the cubs and the territory while the females go out to hunt. The females are smaller and more agile so they are skilled hunters. They are very affectionate animals and often groom each other while they are laying around their site.

Additional information

Mount Type

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Facts

The Lion (Panthera leo) is the second largest cat in the world. They are easy to recognise thanks to their light brown coloured coat and manes. Only the males have big manes. They are very social animals and live in prides of up to 30 lions.
The male lions spend their time guarding the cubs and the territory while the females go out to hunt. The females are smaller and more agile so they are skilled hunters. They are very affectionate animals and often groom each other while they are laying around their site.

Taxidermy

Thorough preparation is the key factor to ensuring a high-quality final product. All hides are tanned and oiled using the world’s very best available chemicals and processes to ensure permanence and longevity.Forms are selected to ensure the best fit and posture will be altered to suit you, the client’s preference without additional cost. Natural habitat bases are custom-made for full mount trophies without additional cost.Only the finest materials and 40 years of professional experience are used in defining your trophies in a whole new way. The final trophies are almost Life-Formed. When the restoration is required, every effort is made to repair cuts and abrasions, and to minimise bullet damage. Natural scarring is kept unless otherwise requested.

Habitat

Most Lions live in savannahs and bushvelds in protected areas. They are often killed by humans for bushman rituals and for hunting trophies. They are nocturnal and usually hunt at night. They sleep 16-20 hours of the day and are quite lazy.Their prey includes Buffalos, Antelope, Crocodiles, wild hogs and rhinos. They often prey on smaller animals as well such as mice, lizards and tortoises. At 2 years old, cubs become capable hunters and begin to hunt.

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Professional Lion Taxidermy in South Africa

Lion hunting in South Africa is a memorable and exhilarating experience that will leave you with one of the most treasured trophies in the hunting arena. With so much cost, effort, and skill involved, it is well worth your while to preserve this memory in an artfully rendered form of taxidermy.

 

What is Lion taxidermy?

Since the time of the Enlightenment, when gentleman scientists turned to taxidermy in order to better comprehend anatomy, the art of taxidermy has gone through several incarnations.

At its most fundamental level, lion taxidermy can be defined as the art of conserving and exhibiting the remains of the deceased animal. In most cases, this requires the removal of the lion’s fur and the replacement of its internal organs with long-lasting materials such as foam.

Traditional methods of taxidermy involved mounting the entire animal, but more recent approaches to the art favour preservation methods that are more long-lasting.

In contemporary taxidermy, the “lifelike” appearance of the lion is achieved by stretching the animal’s actual skin over armatures that have been specially created.

 

Preparation & Packaging tips for a flawless Lion trophy

Lion hunting in South Africa provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an exhilarating adventure that also results in the acquisition of a highly treasured trophy.

An amazing hunting adventure can be had with either the male lion or the lioness. When it comes to hunting lions, the objective should always be to take a shot that kills the animal. Hold your fire until you are very certain that the shot will bring down the animal you are pursuing.

Young or inexperienced hunters should avoid taking shots to the head or neck. If the lion is confronting you head-on, aim for the shoulder, but if it is facing you broadside, shoot for the base of the neck.

Always make sure that you carefully follow the guidance that your expert hunter gives you, and always be prepared with a backup shot in the case that your first shot doesn’t kill the animal.

 

The Lion taxidermist’s process and method

To craft its taxidermy lion trophies, Life-Form employs only the highest quality components, which are sourced from locations all over the world.

Your prized trophy lion will be rendered artistically in a manner that is true to the original thanks to the meticulous care and consideration given to the process.

The first step is shaving, often known as the “fleshing” phase. The next step is concealing any scars or other skin flaws that may exist on the lion.

Skulls are cleaned, moulds are made, and manikins are manufactured according to the requirements of the customer and their vision for the lion mount.

By carrying out these steps, the taxidermy process results in a living art form, and the more nuanced aspects of the lion’s details can be developed to their full potential.

As soon as exhaustive quality checks have been carried out, the process of packing can get underway, with each IPPC-approved wooden crate being made according to the most stringent requirements of effectiveness.

 

Our Skinning Procedure

We have provided a concise set of basic and useful measures in order to assist you in maintaining the pristine appearance of your lion trophy for many years to come.

Incision A:

Position the lion on its back.

Starting at the tip of the lower lip and continuing this cut all the way down the median line at the entire animal, ending on the other side at the tip of the tail.

Incision B:

Split the pad down the centre of the front paw and continue this cut along the front leg to the elbow joint and then along the inside of the front leg to meet cut A in the centre of the chest at a point between the front legs.

Incision C:

Split the pad down the centre of the back paw and continue this cut along the back of the back leg to the knee joint and then along the inside of the back leg to join cut A directly ahead of the scrotum/vulva.

Skinning Body:

Skin the animal from cuts A, B, C – Leave a minimum of fat and flesh on the skin.

Skinning Paws:

Turn the skin inside out. Skin out the pads and carefully clean each individual toe up to where it joins the nail. Detach each nail at the nail/bone joint. Clean all tissue from the paw’s pads and the base of the nails.

Skinning Head:

Starting on the lower jaw, cut the lips free along the gum line. Do not cut too deeply into the upper lips as this will sever the hair roots of the whiskers causing them to fall out. Clean around the individual whisker follicles and salt liberally.

Skinning Nostrils:

Split the cartilage in two between the nostrils and remove all cartilage tissue, fat, and flesh.

Skinning Ears:

Cut the ear cartilage free where it joins the skull. Carefully skin out the ear by cutting between the cartilage and the outer skin whilst turning the ear inside out until the outer edge is reached. Note: the ears of cats cannot be separated from the cartridge using a suitable instrument such as a spoon handle, as is the case when skinning antelope – cat ears need to be cut loose at the edges.

 

  • The most significant trait that every mounted lion trophy has in common is the propensity to turn into dust catchers, due to the fact that hair, by its very nature, has a tendency to form a static electric “field,” which acts as an attractant for dirt and dust.
  • Your hard-won trophy can retain its “like-new” appearance for many years if it is dusted on a consistent, weekly basis.

 

Taking care of your Lion trophy

Your mounted lion trophy, like everything else of worth in your home, deserve and require routine maintenance in order to be kept in pristine shape and to continue giving the impression that they were just displayed.

We have provided a concise set of basic and useful measures in order to assist you in maintaining the pristine appearance of your lion trophies for the many years to come.

  • The most significant trait that every mounted lion trophy has in common is the propensity to turn into dust catchers, due to the fact that hair, by its very nature, has a tendency to form a static electric “field,” which acts as an attractant for dirt and dust.
  • When you add any smoke that may be in the air from cooking to this, you have even more in addition to the typical amount of dust that is in the air.
  • Your hard-won trophy can retain its “like-new” appearance for many years if it is dusted on a consistent, weekly basis.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

How much does Lion taxidermy cost?

Individual quotes can be requested through the website.

 

How long does Lion taxidermy take?

Depending on the lion trophy, the standard operating procedure in this industry might range between eight to 12 months at Life-Form Taxidermy. Taxidermy is an art form that involves a multi-step procedure to ensure that each trophy is accurately depicted and of a high quality that will endure a lifetime.

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