The evolution of B&B Taxidermy begins with a man working on animal mounts by himself in his garage and ends with him becoming one of the more reputable taxidermists in the Greater Houston area.

Mike Baird, the shop's owner, founded the business in 1983 and led it to what it is today—a staff of 16 full-time workers producing around 3,500 mounts every year on a facility that spans three-quarters of an acre.

"I nearly starved to death from '82 to '85," Baird said. "But I never quit doing what I loved and, before long, business started picking up."

Hunters send their animals to B&B, which is a USDA certified quarantine facility, and B&B cleans, mounts and touches up the specimen for presentation. Although the animal part of the mount is what catches the eye, B&B gives equal attention to detail of the base and decorative features.

The animals that Baird and his team work on come mostly from Africa and North America—deer, bears, hippos and zebras, among many others—but he has received animals from all over the world. He said his favorite project was an African rhinoceros. One of the rarest animals he worked on was the American Bald Eagle. Several mounts at the showroom are also for sale.

In addition to working with individual hunters, B&B has developed relationships with museums and the Audubon Society.

"If an endangered animal dies of natural causes, they will send it to us to prepare so they can present it for their patrons," Baird said.

Hunters who live in the Katy area or who are traveling into Houston on I-10 can drop off deer at Midway Deer Processing, another locally owned business with whom B&B partners during deer season. Midway takes care of the processing and B&B picks the animal up for taxidermy and mounting. It typically takes 10 days to two weeks to process a deer.

As someone who developed an interest in taxidermy at an early age and has always had a fascination with wildlife, Baird said he understands his customers and knows what they value.

"When we work on a diorama or design a trophy room, we want to diagram how the hunter remembers the hunt as best we can," he said. "We want to tell the story and preserve the memories for each customer."

History of taxidermy

• 1803—The first person to use the word "taxidermy" was Louis Dufresne of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris in the reference book, "Nouveau Dictionnaire D'histoire Naturelle."
• Early 19th century—Taxidermy began in England. An increase in demand for leather meant the process of tanning became commonplace. This made the preservation of various species possible.
• Early taxidermy pieces were stuffed with sawdust and rags. This resulted in models that were often disfigured and did not adhere to accurate anatomy.

Taxidermy lingo

• Taxidermy—comes from the Greek words taxis, or "arrangement," and derma, or "skin"
• Specimen—an exact replica of the animal as it appeared in the wild
• Trophy—an animal mounted for presentation, such as a deer head mounted on the wall
• Tanning—involves removing the hide from the animal, cleaning it out and rubbing tanning oil into the skin to make it softer and more aesthetically pleasing
• Mounting—involves developing the actual structures that position the animal in a certain pose, helping bring the animal to life
• Beautifying—involves adding colors and finishing touches to the animal, as well as background and landscaping such as trees, rocks, mountains and snow

11030 Jones Road West, Houston 281-469-2920

www.bbtaxidermy.com

Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Sat. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Sun. noon–7 p.m.