How to Vacuum a Turkey

This past week I took part in vacuuming a wild turkey, coloring a squirrel, and inspecting the paint job on feet of various waterfowl. Still technically spring, a team consisting of myself as Curator, our recently returned Collections Monitor, and two Summer Naturalist Interns were working on spring cleaning. An important project occurring at least annually, cleaning of all objects in the Museum's collection can ensure that they remain in good shape. This also allows John, our Collections Monitor of some years, to share tricks of the trade with newer staff. 

Specimen storage is a relatively sterile environment, but that doesn't mean dust cannot accumulate. The large, fire and waterproof cabinets along the back wall of the storage room hold the majority of specimens in our collection. This includes study skins, geology specimens, our entomology collection, herbarium, and man-made artifacts and artwork. Those that remain visible when looking through the storage room doors are animals preserved via taxidermy, and this is where a vacuum comes in.

Positioned high on storage shelving, this wild turkey
requires ladders and considerable stretching to be cleaned. 

Soft bristle brushes and a HEPA vacuum assist collections staff with removing unwanted dust accumulation. Looking back on days as an intern myself, I remember looking on during the busy collections cleaning days. The vacuum hummed and staff slipped in and out of the locked room, suited up in white lab coats, dust masks, and blue gloves. The event took place over a couple days, and eventually I was allowed to join the exclusive group of cleaners. We worked much like an assembly line, one gingerly handing down specimens individually to the person holding the vacuum hose. This person would run the hose from top to bottom of the animal, taking care to remove only dust. Then, dampened Q-tips brushed across glass eyes and real feet, claws, beaks, etc. would pick up the rest of the debris. All the while, we assessed for signs of pests or damages to  the mount's structural integrity. The tedious task drew on, with John occasionally transferring specimens back to his work space for repair. Being inexperienced in all this, my attention largely remained fixed on handling each specimen without dropping it. 

Collections care often requires practices that deal with conditions which aren't visible to the human eye. During the few days of cleaning with John, however,  I feel a slight relief at the chance to divert my attention to aesthetic needs of our specimens. While sifting through some rodents this year, an eastern fox squirrel showed a noticeable marking from a bullet hole. Exposed skin surrounding the hole appeared much lighter than its gray-brown fur. John ran out without word, returning with some marking pens. He simply drew in with a comparable color, which did well to mask the bullet wound. The trick could likewise be used to correct coloration issues around eyes and mouths. 

Like other institutions, specimen coloration can be a repair priority as inescapable light fades materials. I enjoy watching short videos online from museums such as the American Museum of Natural History to get a glimpse at their methods of recoloring taxidermy. In Cable, our expertise usually allows for the recoloring of skin materials. Although the Museum has limited funds and at times expertise to undertake major taxidermy rejuvenation projects, time will only tell what possibilities become available. 

This mallard and American wigeon have had a bill and feet recolored
respectively to mimic natural coloration of the birds. 

Since my summer employment at the Museum, I've learned much more about the care of our specimens. I tend to rely on the many online and hard copy resources available to a Curator, but experiential learning does wonders. The Collections Monitor has returned for the summer with years of experience and many tricks up his sleeve. We will continue to work together to ensure that specimens remain well preserved, and I look forward to acquiring more of those bits of knowledge that only experience can provide.