What can I expect for a hippo shoulder mount in Africa vs. US, how about a full mount croc. What other options for both trophys if I am lucky enough to take them all. I have pretty good idea on the buff.

If you email Life-Form in South Africa they will send you a price list. The US costs will depend on the taxidermist, so ask a couple for a price list and then you can compare.

Good luck.

I did a full croc mount and never regretted it. Admittedly it takes up a lot of space but well worth it.

I'll add that Lifeform work is absolutely exquisite.......take a look at www.lifeform.co.za All their work is really great and their cats are breathtaking.

If anyone finds themselves in the White River area they should pay a visit to Lifeform and ask for a tour of the workshop...... it's always available and a nice way to spend a couple of hours.........you could also give me a call as I only live a few minutes down the road and we'll get together for a beer or two.....

Rakman 1,
If you are hunting in Zim, try Taxidermy Enterprises. Could not have been happier with the work they did for me. Prices are less than half then in US, but it will cost you to have shipped back. All in all found that even with shipping it was less. E-mail taxient@mweb.co.zw
bobga

I can only imagine the size of crate an shipping cost of it on a full life size croc.

The taxidermy price alone will only give a part of the information you need to make a comparison. The shipping and taxes/duties at the receiving end will have to be added in to make it pertinent. I did this just recently with two antelope taken in South Africa in October and decided to do the shoulder mount of my Waterbuck here in France as it will most likely be cheaper. This is mostly due to French customs as well as shipping costs. Since shipping a shoulder mount would have cost me almost double, and the VAT and duty are calculated on the finished product price including shipping, it just came out cheaper for me to have the prepped trophy only sent. Lifeform is not a shipping company so they will most likely refer you to Safari Air Cargo (SAC) for a shipping estimate. You will need to have Lifeform give you a crate size and weight estimate so that SAC will have something to go on.

Wink,

What's the standard of taxidermy like in France? So much depends on how good they look when they're on the wall.

We had an English taxidermist contact us a few years ago who wanted us to recommend him to our English clients....... in his e-mails, he told us we would need to send him plenty of photographs of the animals as he didn't know what the African animals looked like! - Can you imagine what a stuff up he would have made of them!

Needless to say, we continued to recommend Lifeform who (IMHO) simply can't be beaten for quality......

I'm not sure on the bigger stuff to compare too... but I am having 6 antelope done here in the states vs. in RSA. The taxidermy work was deffinately cheaper in RSA, like 30%, but like others have said you have to add in the extra shipping cost, as well as taxes and import duties. After calculating that all out, it was pretty much the same price in the end for me. I decided to have it done here rather than there because I can take it back to the taxi if its not right... kind of hard to take it back to africa to get it fixed...

quote:

Originally posted by Rakman1:
What can I expect for a hippo shoulder mount in Africa vs. US, how about a full mount croc. What other options for both trophys if I am lucky enough to take them all. I have pretty good idea on the buff.

I am an amateur taxidermist in the US. Let me offer what I have learned.

1. Croc mounts will run about $500 per linear foot of length for a full mount. The rug version is about half of that.

2. Hippo is extremely difficult to do regardless of where it is done due to the type of skin and lack of hair to cover holes and tears. The critical issue on hippo is whether open or closed mouth. If open, then an entirely new realm of problems come into play. THe cost is high in the US and I cannot quote, but would expect you to pay $2000 or more.

A bigger issue is what are your expectations? if you expect museum quality from Zim, you likely will not get it. If you are expecting to have a mount that will last 25 years or more, it is doubtful you will get that in the US or Zim.

The tanning process is a critical factor. The type of tanning will also impact the life of the mount as well as the quality you can expect. I would research that carefully.

For a hippo, I would suggest you look at reproductions, cast in the US and insert your tusks. Hippo skin is very hard to preserve. A good reproduction will last longer than you will and will look very good.

Good luck.

Shakari, the quality of taxidermy in France on African animals is variable. I look forward to seeing JBDerunz' lion this March/April at the Rambouillet Game Fair. He chose the French taxidermist with the best reputation on African animals, Michel Vallier, and if I like the looks of it then I will go with him. As you know, a lot of Lord Derby Eland (probably most) are done in France, as well as Bongo, since the majority of hunters for those species are French. To be succinct, I've seen good and not so good.

Wink,

Thanks, I'd be interested in any website adderesses if you have them...... it's always nice to compare different styles.....

Rakman- I have had work done in Africa 4X. I have not taken a shipment scince the air freight went through the roof. I found that the savings were 10-15%, including all costs(shipping). Am in the process of having stuff done now and will try to arrange ocean freight for the shipments. A few contributers here have used OF and were pleased with the cost and service. If one has a problem with a cape or some such thing the odds of being able to correct that are higher in Africa IMO. There will be a lot of members who strongly feel that taxidermy at your home base is the way to go. I would not cosider any African taxidermy without visiting the studio and getting a complete tour.The ones I have used did their own tanning which seemed to eliminate another variable.

i had a croc done over ther lifesized & they charged 100/ft. shipping was OK on ship, but to much in the air. I think we had a croc, bushpig, warthog done lifesize, and somethink like 15 other things It came over the seas in 30 days & cost something like 3300 in the air it over 9000. The crates filled about 1/3 of a semi trailer. so i didn't think 3000 was to bad. and for 30 days for 6 grand I could wait. I work wasn't quite up the work I get done here, but for the cost difference I sure could live with it.

Shakari, here is link that I think will work to Michel Vaillier's site. There aren't a lot of explicit photographs of his work, but if you contact him he may be able to provide you with specific photos of specific animals.

http://www.vaillier-michel.com