Congratulations DANIEL MENG!

Oh my, stunning! Not surprised coming from this prodigy. Truly gifted artist, very inspiring.

 

Life is so unfair. Lol very nice work Daniel and like Jerry said I'm sure he will have many More title's.

 

Absolutely beautiful. Congratulations.
Ralph

 

What a great young talent. Daniel also placed in the live sculpture competition. ////your cat was so soft and natural looking. It looks like there could not be a solid manikin inside. Awesome job

 

That was an awesome cat and great composition. The mount pulled you in and made it hard to walk away.

 

Agreed, that is awesome! Thanks for sharing Jerry.
Best, Scott

 

his work is amazing...this kid has vision and insight for taxidermy others dream of

 

Very inspiring, thanks for sharing.

 

Looks a fantastic piece of work.

 

Wow Daniel, I wished I could've seen that piece in person!

 

Yeah... saw this one coming some years ago when I read a breakthrough issue article by a 14 y/o boy who mounted a cheetah. Dude, you are scarey talented.

That cat was unreal. The interaction between the observer and the cat... it moved me. i wasnt kidding when i said my jaw literally dropped when I first walked up on it. Cant wait to see what the future holds for you. Congrats again my friend. C U N 2017!

 

It was my very favorite big cat at the show, It looked like it could jump any second. Amazing work

 

Only in real life do see something like this. I have never seen a leopard mount with so much attitude and especially in a pose like this. Those four year old kids that can play instruments professionally or write symphonies like Mozart did at such an early age just blow my mind. Could This young man be the mozart of taxidermy only not as messed up in private life as Mozart was? Could be.

 

I just keep coming back for another look ! Possibly the most impressive leopard mount I've EVER seen. It held me longer than any other piece. Hope you top it ! I can't wait !

 

OMG That just looks amazing in every way!!!!! All of the muscle definition in the head neck and the body UN REAL !!!!
I THINK THE NEXT PRODIGY HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!!!

 

Daniel, how can I keep from showing the world what you wrote for Carl Akeley's commemorative birthday tribute last Weds night? It belongs to the industry now and we all thank you for such heartfelt comments and passionate admiration for the Masters. Congratulations - on all counts!

I've called myself a taxidermist since I was eight years old when I mounted my first animal, a white chipmunk! Since that day I've worked in 27 shops in 5 countries and 13 years later I won the coveted Akeley medallion for my Best in World Large Mammal title with a snarling African leopard. I was not expecting it at all, I was in shock to say the least. It was a very emotional experience walking up to the stage at the 2015 World Taxidermy Show hosted by Larry and Kathy Blomquist to accept the award. Although, as my friend Russell Night handed me the plaque, my mind was somewhere else. I thought of Mr. Akeley mounting a whole herd of lifesize elephants and realizing I've worked on three of the great pachyderms myself, and of course I thought of leopards... my favorite of all living creatures, the cause of all my nights under the stars in far away places like Zimbabwe, hunting them from tree blinds just like Akeley did, siting like a ghost, uttering not so much as a whisper, staining my ears all night hoping to hear the soft pads of a big leopard plodding down the path and moments later the crunch of bones as he settles in to enjoy a chunk of zebra or Impala.... Then I was reminded of what ultimately brought this incredible man to the end of his life, the man eating leopard that Akeley killed with his bare hands after it attacked him. And to bring it all back around, it was because of a leopard mount done for a great client that I was even standing up there on stage. Shortly after, when I got back to my table I was surprised once more. There on the back side of my gold medal was the image of Jumbo! As a little child, my mother had read me stories about this amazing elephant. I was instantly taken back in time by a memory of the traveling circus that came through my hometown in Switzerland, where I got to ride a real live elephant, just like all the lucky little children who got to ride on the back of the great Jumbo!

This award means the world to me because I truly feel like I owe it all to the man they named it after. He is accredited with taking this industry to the next level with his revolutionary invention of the sculpted manakin to stretch skins over as apposed to the ancient method of literally stuffing specimens with any number of crazy materials. I've learned so many of my current techniques by directly studying his now old school methods. And the reason I give him so much credit for my own accomplishments as I sit here and write this on his birthday is that before Akeley, taxidermists were not respected as viable artists. This meant they were not able to fully express themselves outside of their closed workshops. If I had grown up in this era instead and showed any interest in the field of taxidermy, I would have found it nearly impossible to learn anything. So although indirectly, it was because of this man that I was welcomed into every shop I went to with open arms and I sincerely want to take a moment to thank all the great artists I have learned from and worked for. They all showed me everything they knew and answered all my questions. And I want to pass it forward and share my knowledge with the next generation of taxidermists much in the same way as the great Pioneers of this unique art form like James L. Clark, Louis Paul Jonas and of course my hero, Carl E. Akeley.

Sincerely, Daniel Meng

 

Mr. Daniel
Words can't express how proud I am of you and your accomplishments. About five years ago I contacted Daniel to come down to Southeast Ohio and work with me for a week. I'm not one of the greats that he talks about working with, but I sure do call him one. Every year since then he comes down and stays for a week or more at our home. I have two daughters that are now 8 and 10 and they say that Daniel is their adopted Uncle. My point in all this is that Daniel is a very good person just as he is a taxidermist. He has taught me so much in those five years that I could never repay him. Travel safe going back out west.
Love Ya Buddy
Brian