Behind the Scenes: Mammal Gallery DecantPhoto Galleries | Updated 8 years ago A photoshoot for the taxidermy mammal collection for Western Australian Museum records. Is this tiger hungry, or just camera shy? WA Museum Our taxidermy deer struts its stuff in a photoshoot for Western Australian Museum records.WA Museum Our taxidermy Zebra looks a little lost, but he needn't worry as he'll soon be right at home in our Collections and Research Centre (CRC) in Welshpool! WA Museum Goodbye for now but not forever - our taxidermy Zebra awaiting transport.WA Museum All abroad! One of the Western Australian Museum's large skeletons strapped in to its specialised transport stillage.WA Museum Skeletons and taxidermied mammals secured to their transport mechanism, ready for transport to the CRC. WA Museum All transport mechanisms were created specifically for certain specimens to ensure their safety. WA Museum Taxidermied bears, a seal and an anteater - this odd collection of mammals are ready for transport to the CRC. WA Museum Taxidermied bears, a seal and an anteater - this odd collection of mammals are ready for transport to the CRC. WA Museum A llama and a tapir ready to start their journey to the CRC.WA Museum Whether they hopped, swam or walked, Western Australian Museum staff have found a way to safely transport a wide range of mammal body types. A great reminder of just how diverse mammals really are! WA Museum A group of small mammals ready for transport to the CRC.WA Museum A group of small mammals ready for transport to the CRC.WA Museum The Mammal Gallery decant from the Western Australian Museum - Perth to the Collections and Research Centre (CRC) at Welshpool has been a huge undertaking for all involved. It allowed Museum staff the opportunity to update records and complete conservation work on the precious specimens. Soula Veyradier, Manager, Western Australian Museum - Perth, said that the decant was a unique opportunity to work with the animals outside their display cases. We were lucky to see animals hanging out together outside of their regular showcases and the fact that they populated the gallery in a less formal setting made their individual personalities come out more! Curator of Terrestrial Zoology, Kenny Travouillon said of the photoshoot images - When Soula took those photos, we were photographing the Zebra. It just happened that the Tiger was stored next to the photography stand. Soula wanted to document the photography process but then it became quite artistic by taking the photos at an angle, showing the Tiger in the background. The process for decanting each individual mammal from the gallery was quite complicated, and involved many steps. Each specimen was carefully tested and cleaned, after which a condition report was performed, the specimen was photographed, and then packed into a box or onto a stillage, depending on their size. Click the images below to find out more about transporting Museum specimens and objects, and the Mammal Gallery decant.