Bundaberg taxidermist Kevin Daley’s services in demand as boar mounted at Grand Hotel

With a 112kg wild boar which was causing chaos on local farms now permanently mounted on a country Qld pub wall and his animal preservation service in hot demand, this “normal bloke” takes us into the fascinatingly feral world of taxidermy. *Graphic.

A boar which was "wreaking havoc" on farms at Childers is now on display at the Grand Hotel after being preserved by Bundaberg taxidermist Kevin Daley. PHOTO: Grand Hotel Childers

When Kevin Daley made the move up to Bundaberg in 2023, neighbours were unsure what to expect of the man who drove a big red van with Bowman’s Taxidermy written on the side.

They were relieved to find he was “just a normal bloke”.

Mr Daley has been turning dead creatures into permanent showpieces for the better half of 30 years, learning the ropes from a taxidermy teacher he met in Sydney.

An exhibition at the Australian Museum many years ago sparked the interest to learn a lost art which has since flourished into a widely successful business, spanning across two states.

Early last year, Mr Daley was commissioned to taxidermy a wild boar that had been wreaking havoc on crops in the Childers area.

The 112kg beast was “humanely” disposed of by Bundaberg Feral Pest Control and given to Mr Daley to start working his magic.

A boar which was "wreaking havoc" on farms near Childers is now mounted on the wall at the Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel in Childers commissioned Mr Daley to make a boar mount in two halves (the front appearing to charge through one side of the wall while the back hoofs and tail are suspended from the other) which since November 2024, have been proudly displayed on the walls of the historic pub – home to the Mongrel meal challenge and “Luke the Spook”.

Among the ongoing projects in Mr Daley’s Bundaberg workshop are a number of curious animals from all over the world.

He has been commissioned to taxidermy animals, from feral pests to the controversially hunted, from New Zealand, Africa and as far as Europe.

The most exotic animal he’s worked on was “either an adult bison or a full black bear from Canada”.

Of the profession, Mr Daley says “there’s no trade certificate [for it]”, which makes it more of “an art form”.

“You need an eye for detail,” he said.

It takes skill and a strong stomach to make a dead animal look alive (consider yourself warned).

Often, Mr Daley will receive a whole animal from a client, which requires him to skin it.

Kevin Daley runs Bowman’s Taxidermy from his Bundaberg warehouse.

Depending on the animal, the remains are returned to the owners to be discarded or butchered.

Once Mr Daley has removed the skin, he begins the delicate and timely process of tanning the skin, the process of chemically preserving the animal hides.

“You work with the skin like leather,” he said.

“Placing the wet animal skin over a prepared mould, that he often shapes himself, and sewing the skin in place.”

It’s often a race against time to ensure that the skin fits snug and anatomically correct against the mould.

A boar from Mr Daley’s personal collection.

While drying, certain areas require precision pinning to ensure the hard work is not completely undone in the drying process.

The inside of the mouth is airbrushed before the teeth and rubber tongue can be added back in at the end.

Fake eyes are sourced from a company in America and according to Mr Daley, the wrong eyes can ruin a build, so it’s important to get it right.

Mr Daley says the right eyes are key to making creatures appear alive.

Once the fur gets sewn over the mould, the eyes can’t be moved.

The whole process, from receiving the skins to adding the final airbrushed blush in the ears or eye cornices of an animal, can take up to 12 weeks to complete, but Mr Daley said clients were happy to wait for nine months or more.

“If someone says the eyes seem to follow me around the room, I know I’ve got it right,” he said.

Originally published as Bundaberg taxidermist Kevin Daley’s services in demand as boar mounted at Grand Hotel