Surreal stuffed animals or taxidermy treasures?

I admitted in a recent post about the Shell Factory that I found the most interesting thing to be the enormous collection of stuffed wildlife. A recent review of photographs shows that this attraction to images of taxidermy treasures is not new and despite my wife's protests, I'm trying to understand why I find this so intriguing.

Shell Factory, North Ft. Myers, FL

Part of it is that they are seem very surreal in their man-made environments. Lit by fluorescent bulbs, under acoustic ceiling tiles, they provide a jarring juxtaposition between the untamed natural world and our safe inside spaces.

Shell Factory, North Ft. Myers, FL

Maybe it's because they are so lifelike and their sad eyes seem to follow you and stare at you. Do their eyes capture their last thought, "please don't shoot me!"? Of course their eyes are glass...

Shell Factory, North Ft. Myers, FL

Homosassa Springs, FL

Perhaps I'm trying to figure out why we seem to like put dead things on display. Or at least their skins. Is it to show we can conquer nature? Is it our vanity? Or do we find these creatures beautiful and just like looking at them?

Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Sarasota, FL

Postcard for Thomas Edison's Winter Estate, Ft. Myers, FL

College Park home, Orlando, FL

I think my fascination with stuffed fish began as a kid. My dad has a big stuffed largemouth bass that I used to love to look at. I dreamed of one day catching a fish large enough to get stuffed one day. I knew it cost lot of money, but I was willing to save and save. It was a mute point as I never caught any fish large enough... and what about using dead fish for decorating? Living in Florida my whole life, it seems somewhat more acceptable to hang up a stuffed fish, than a deer head, maybe because they are not mammals.

Taxidermy shop, Deland, FL

I saw a special on TV about these photographers who went around the UK documenting every stuffed polar bear in the British Isles. They were raising awareness of the plight of the polar bears. Might these bizarre objects be all we have left to remind us of the way things used to be in the wild before we destroyed most of the natural habitats? Some of these are for learning purposes, I suppose... Is it different than putting dinosaur bones on display?

Homosassa Springs, FL

Yellowstone National Park

Dixie Crossroads, Titusville, FL

Is it gross? Or is there something in our DNA similar to the same instinct that made early Homo Sapiens paint cave pictures of the game they hunted? I'm open to all theories....

Panther & Crane

Last night I attended the performance of Ibex puppetry's Panther and Crane and it's not your ordinary puppet show. When I was a kid, puppet shows meant felt-decorated socks on hands performed in little booths. This performance was closer to Cirque du Soleil than Kukla, Fran and Ollie.


Much of the performance is dancing and stylized movement. And there is no booth to hide behind, so you see the puppeteers ala Avenue Q. And this particular show offered no verbal narrative, so it required careful attention to follow the story. The performance is described in the program like this: "Panther & Crane is an expressionistic journey through Florida's ecosystem. We use dynamic puppets, colored light, projections and movement to create a world of mythic imagery and dreamlike metaphor. Our subjects are migrating cranes, alligators in the glade, the human pulse and wildly fluctuating weather. The elements dance together and ultimately collide with Florida's accelerating urban sprawl."

It is pretty amazing to see how they pull it all together. There is a screen for catching the performers shadows and showing animation. The participants not only have to be talented puppeters but dancers too. It is all about creating beautiful, colorful movement to the soundtrack of the Everglades.

The story is about a young Whooping Crane whose mother is electrified on power lines. Human encroachment into the serene environment of the swamp is abrupt and invasive, symbolized by a remote control Hummer and brightly lit construction vehicles (Tonka trucks) held by robot-like puppeters. The only positive human presence are the scientists in white jump suits who step in to help the baby crane find its way by mimicking an adult bird. The other animal characters in the story include a Mangy Panther, an Ancient Alligator and a Catfish.


The park in front of the History Center in downtown Orlando known as Heritage Square served as the perfect setting for this visual feast. Ibex, Heather Henson's local puppet troupe, placed a gigantic inflatable alligator in front of the History Center, complimenting the building banners advertsing the exhibition of her father's work. The permanent alligator statues already in the park fit right into the story, and emergency vehicles with sirens blarring rushed by as if right on cue.


While I wasn't always sure what was going on symbolically, it was an amazing symphony of music, movement and color. The performers jump seamlessly from modern dance to manipulating giant kites on poles to animating fascinating puppets. And I really loved the environmentalist theme of the story. It reminds me of a 21st century version of Joy Postle's "Glamour Birds" performance piece utilizing all the resources available in this technological age. I had really wanted to catch a glimpse of some Whooping Cranes in the wild this winter and fell short, only seeing a couple in capitivity at Homosassa Springs. Perhaps this will hold me over until next Winter!

Joy Postle image from Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida

Follow ups

1.) The Arrow Motel

My friend living in the Arrow Motel tells me that it is actually a unique little community, despite being in such a run-down part of Orlando.  He says living in the Arrow is "totally safe and secure, despite the appearance of the opposite." He trusts his neighbors because "it is impossible to hide who you are because we all live in the same fishbowl."  First, I must apologize for the assumptions I made about the living conditions there based solely upon the reputation of the Trail. Second, I really want to visit and meet the folks who live permanently in a vintage Florida roadside motel!

2.) Florida Forever

Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist, surprised me by vetoing the proposed cuts that would virtually wipe out the Florida Forever program. It's nice to read some good news in the paper for once!

3.) Homosassa Springs

I found this image of Homosassa Springs, before the Fish Bowl was built, on the Florida Geological Survey website.

4.) Houses for sale

All 3 historical Orlando homes, I've blogged about are still on the market. And I learned that the one home I was told housed Buddy Ebsens' family's musical school, was perhaps not the correct location of said school.

5.) St. Johns River

The battle for Florida's water is really just beginning. Here is a fine article giving reasons for not using the St. Johns River as a source of drinking water.

6.) Peace Tower

I'm not sure where I got the term Peace Tower, it's really called the Placid Tower.

7.) Presidents Hall of Fame

I posted some video from the presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont and meant to do a more in-depth blog about it later. This article on RoadsideAmerica.com, an excellent online resource, does a better job than I would have. And it is written by a highschooler. I'm impressed and hopeful for the next generation of roadside aficianados. 

8.) Citrus Tower

I acquired this vintage postcard of the Clermont roadside attraction. I think perhaps there was some manipulation of the orange tree limb.

From roadside attraction to wildlife park

More on the history of Homosassa...

Aside from the aquatic life in the Giant Fish Bowl, the only noteworthy animals in the early days of Homosassa were tame squirrels and  a popular otter. That changed When Bruce Norris bought the property in 1963. Mr. Norris purchased pontoon boats from the World's Fair and used them to shuttle visitors down Pepper Creek (Homosassa is an Indian word meaning something like place of the peppers for the many trees present in the area with little red berries.) Norris dredged the creek and made it wide enough to incorporate little islands on which he placed exotic animals like monkeys, lions, bears and a hippo.  

Like Wakulla and Silver Springs before it, Homosassa was also used as a location in the entertainment industry. Hungarian movie maker Ivan Tors somehow got involved with the attraction and the '60s TV series Gentle Ben was shot at Homosassa.

Eventually the state took over the park and removed all non-native species except for Lu the hippo. Lu, a veteran of multiple films and well over 50 year old, weighs in at just over 6 tons. To make him a native, Governor "Walkin" Lawton Chiles proclaimed him an official resident of the state at the request of hundreds of school children.

Today, they have many varieties of Florida native animals in captivity that are injured or unable to cope in the wild. In addition to an incredible array of birds they have a Florida Panther hybrid (half FL panther/half cougar) and a bobcat. They keep the leftover flamingoes from the roadside attraction days well fed, and the availability of this free dinner attracts natives like Wood Ducks, Ibis, buzzards, Spoonbills and migratory birds like Sandhill Cranes and Whistler Ducks. It's a great place to get to see these critters up close and take some really awesome pictures! (The one below is a vintage postcard.)

Nature 2.0

Florida's earliest attractions were its springs, places where the secrets of the subterranean aquifer reveal themselves with splendid colors and crystal clear water. As early Floridians attempted to lure folks down to this sub-tropical paradise, springs became the state's first attractions. But they had to be improved upon. It started at Wakulla Springs where goofy underwater gags were photographed and made into postcards and film reels to lure folks from up north. Those techniques developed into the underwater photography of Bruce Mozert at Silver Springs and the antics of the swimming mermaids at Weeki Wachee. Then the creation of the Glass Bottom Boat allowed visitors to see incredible views of the underwater wildlife close-up at Silver and Wakulla Springs.

But no place made a more permanent upgrade than Homosassa Springs. Opening as a roadside attraction in the 1960s, Homosassa had flamingos, bears and even a hippopotamus, but its main attraction was the Giant Fish Bowl. Now called the Underwater Observatory, the Fish Bowl allows you to get below the surface of the water and come face to face with thousands of fish. The Fish Bowl is sunk right over the top of the spring and the view is pretty spectacular. In addition to the thousands of fish, manatees are feed there, so they are never far from the observation area. Other than getting in the water with them, it's hard to imagine having a closer interaction with these amazingly gentle creatures.

I don't think something like this could be built today, but it sure is a thrill to have such an incredible experience with the aquatic world without getting wet. And it is really fun to hear the shrieks of delight from even the most jaded teenager as they are overwhelmed coming down the staircase. It's tough to beat the awesome power of Mother Nature. But sometimes it doesn't hurt to tweak it.