Breathing life into the dead

The Sunday Times talks to taxidermy hobbyists and professionals, who preserve everything from chicken skulls to dead pets and fishes

Ms Vivian Tham, who is pursuing a master’s degree in pathology, preserves specimens such as bees, butterflies, mice and dead pets, and sells her works on Carousell.
Ms Vivian Tham, who is pursuing a master’s degree in pathology, preserves specimens such as bees, butterflies, mice and dead pets, and sells her works on Carousell. PHOTO: VIVIAN THAM
Nanyang Technological University undergraduate Nicole Chan, seen here with chicken skulls she preserved, taught herself the basics of bone preservation using the Internet. She has also preserved the skulls and rib bones of her pet hamsters..
Nanyang Technological University undergraduate Nicole Chan, seen here with chicken skulls she preserved, taught herself the basics of bone preservation using the Internet. She has also preserved the skulls and rib bones of her pet hamsters.. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Nanyang Technological University undergraduate Nicole Chan, seen here with chicken skulls she preserved, taught herself the basics of bone preservation using the Internet. She has also preserved the skulls and rib bones of her pet hamsters (above). M
Nanyang Technological University undergraduate Nicole Chan, seen here with chicken skulls she preserved, taught herself the basics of bone preservation using the Internet. She has also preserved the skulls and rib bones of her pet hamsters (above). ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI
Chelsea Kiew
Updated
Jun 14, 2020, 11:15 AM
Published
Jun 14, 2020, 05:00 AM
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On Saturday mornings, Ms Nicole Chan looks forward eagerly to her mother's return from the wet market.

Not for a breakfast takeaway, but for the two dismembered chicken heads her mother usually picks up from the butcher.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 14, 2020, with the headline Breathing life into the dead. Subscribe

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