zoo animals

no clue but i'd be one of those "dude if that cat dies can I have it? just shove it in the freezer and I'll pick it up"

 

It takes years of dealing and developing trust and keeping legal. That's all I can think of but most institutions will not allow for there animals to be sold to private individuals so you basically need to be in the right place at the right time.

 

Try the private game farms and zoos. There are lists available of game farms across the country. These guys are often anxious to recoup losses (and they all have losses). I've the bought some of the wildest stuff you can imagine over the years.

 

Usually the prices are quite reasonable. If it's a big cat they're usually restricted to selling within the state which limits the competition. I've seen guys try to sell dead specimens for live values but seldom get any takers.

Many years ago I remember a friend pulling into my yard with a pickup full of dead African lions, females and young males. The breeder had gotten tired of feeding them and culled out a bunch, he bought them for $200 bucks apiece, but that was probably 20 years ago.

Just the other night we had the scanner on and heard a report of a older man having a heart attack, when the ambulance arrived they found a one year old pet tiger loose in the apartment! The police or paramedics would not enter the apartment until some came and tranquilized the cat. This was just a few blocks from my house in the middle of the city! You'd be surprised at what's out there close to where you live.

 

I'm one of those guys that has alot of zoo animals on here at times. Now I can't speak for others, but I will share with you how I got my foot in the door. Long before I became a taxidermist I too raised exotic animals, and still raise whitetail deer. By going to animal auctions and by buying and selling animals to others in the business you build relationships over time. Some of the stuff I put on here is nothing more than a courtesy to help my friends on BOTH sides. I may make a little from time to time, but mostly when I want something for myself they try to take care of me for taking care of them. However, in my state of Illinois, I must have a permit to possess any of the animals, such as tigers, that appear on the Federal Endangered or Threatened or Protected list. Plus, you must have paperwork from the breeder for that particular animal, and a copy of his or her USDA license. After years of being in the animal business and many years in the taxidermy business, I guess I've made a couple of connections along the way. So, as was previously said, get to know breeders in your area and offer YOUR services to them. Usually when an animal dies, as a rule, few have the facilities or the know how to properly take care of the skin. This is where YOU come in. Help them out. If you have a walk in cooler, make it available to them. Offer to buy the skins or offer to help them sell it. Many times they will want you to mount it for them. This is especially true with the BREEDER Whitetail deer. I do antler reproductions also, and with many of the deer breeders they want replica's of their Mega deer. In the animal business there is a saying that goes like this.......LIVESTOCK is DEADSTOCK! They ALL are going to die at some point. If you want a shot at that NEXT dead animal, you need to lay the ground work well in advance. There are several PRIVATE ZOO's around the country, and many, many animal breeders. Those are your best bet. Getting things from PUBLIC ZOO"S is almost impossible. Recently several Polar Bears died at the St. Louis Zoo. Even with connections I couldn't get them. The zoologist did autopsies on them for one and for two they didn't want them in private sector. I guess it makes for bad publicity. But your private zoo's want to recoup as much as they can when an animal dies.
I hope this helps and GL in your pursuit. Just remember, before you get into a sticky situation with a endangered or protected species, check with your state to see what is required of you to posses that animal. There are rules that must be followed. Just checking with the USW&W is not enough. Each state has it's own rules too.

 

If their are anyone out there looking for a long haired I think baboon ? the Hovatter Zoo in W.V. has one he would like to sell along with alot of other specimans. I went there asking about a set of elk antlers and he just offered them

 

Yeah, I would be interested in that also. Get me a price, along with a list of other specimens. Thanks

 

O.K. the best I can do is let you contact them at (304) 329-3122 or www.westvirginiazoo.com and also talk to him about being put on waiting list for some of his exotics