Skulls, taxidermy seized in raid returned to Vancouver oddity shop

A new Vancouver oddity shop that sells medical and zoological curiosities from fetal pigs to baboon skulls — that was raided by B.C. conservation officers checking the paperwork of the macabre wares — is almost in the clear.

David Duprey says it was his dream to open a shop that deals in vintage taxidermy and dissection-inspired crochet, but he was warned that ventures like this do get targeted by animal conservation officers wary of dealers of endangered or prohibited species.

"We knew that this was going to happen. We didn't know it was going to be this bad," said Duprey, owner of Vancouver's two-month-old shop, This Monkey's Gone to Heaven.

On Wednesday morning, wildlife conservation officers arrived and spent the day inspecting his inventory, seizing 44 pieces which they are verifying as part of an ongoing investigation.

"They found out that a group of our skulls didn't have the correct paperwork," Duprey said.

Now 38 of those 44 items have been returned, and the remaining items only have issues around dates and times on the paperwork, so Duprey is convinced all will be in order soon.

"What a relief!" he said.

Strict regulations in place

The officers initially took two caribou, he said, as well as other taxidermy including skulls, a bobcat, beaver, squirrels and two mounted muskrats. He is sure he can find the name of the hunter that killed them and details that will satisfy authorities.

The investigation was focussed on whether the 44 items seized violate the Wildlife Act.

The raid was the result of a complaint, said Todd Hunter of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.

"We are trying to determine the lawfulness of the wildlife pieces ... Wildlife trade is the largest thing on the black market and they are very vulnerable," Hunter said.

"Federally and provincially, we have strict regulations ... to prevent trade on the black market."

The store owner is confident that all will be returned as he only deals with licensed, reputable long-time vendors — which he's secretive about — who comb places like estate sales for their wares.

He said he will be able to confirm who hunted each animal and when, even though many of the kills date back decades.

In one case, Duprey said, a Point Grey man died and his wife willed all the mounted animals he had killed — enough to fill a 3,000-square-foot room with 30-foot ceilings — to the taxidermy company that did the work. 

Inspired by U.S. curiosity shops

Duprey said he dreamed of opening an oddity shop after falling in love with medical and zoological curiousity shops like Necromance in San Francisco and Paxton Gate in Portland, Ore. 

"They had every taxidermy in the universe and a billion different gorgeous skulls ... I'd buy my wife's anniversary present from there and I thought this would be so great to own a store like that." he said.

The stores that specialize in real skulls and skeletons, many of them vintage, also incorporate Darwin-inspired art from faux-mounted butterflies to skeleton dioramas.

Duprey's walls display crocheted renditions of pig dissections and he even sells the fetal pigs and frogs that high school students are expected to dissect in class.

"They sell like crazy," he said. "They are just so cool."