In a room of Chandra Ahlquist’s home in north-central Loveland sits a large, white Canadian wolf. But she said Ghost, the blue-eyed beast, is fairly low-maintenance, without the need for bags of food or incurring pricey vet bills. That is because the wolf is one of her many taxidermy projects.
Ahlquist is the owner of Sterling Fox Taxidermy, her own business offering a variety of taxidermist products from rabbit feet to mammals like foxes.
Ahlquist has spent years learning and teaching herself the trade of soft-mount taxidermy, a version of the trade she said is not as common but allows for the animals she works with to be movable and posable.
This includes Ghost, the Canadian wolf, and Willow, a snow fox that sits on the back of her couch in her living room, something she said many people think is alive.
“I have friends who know I do taxidermy who think he’s real,” she said.
Ahlquist does her work out of the basement of her home, with two rooms dedicated to the craft. This includes not only her work space, where a number of her projects line the wall, but a fabrication room where she makes the internal elements of the animals including the internal framing that allows the animals to be moved and posed.
She said that over the years she has learned not only the many ways of the trade but has also gained an even greater appreciation for animals.
“I just think each and every animal is so cool,” she said, later adding “It’s made me appreciate things you don’t think of.”
And beyond this, Ahlquist said she loves what she does because it gives her the chance to grow and learn as a creator.
“Always striving to get better is what I love,” she said, later adding “I’m always trying to make it better with every one.”
How did you get into taxidermy in the first place?
I fell in love with taxidermy visiting the Denver Museum as a child. The beautiful melding of artistry, anatomy and science of the taxidermy there absolutely took my breath away. It’s one of the many things that inspired me to pursue a biology degree at Colorado State University. I took a lab class where we had to skin and prepare mice for a museum collection. This provided me with the opportunity to try taxidermy. My curiosity snowballed from there and I started to read and learn everything I could about taxidermy. At first it was my obsessive hobby, but eventually as my skills grew I was able to turn it into my full-time job.
How did you adapt to working with dead animals to create your work?
Believe it or not, I used to faint at the sight of blood. This made daily life a struggle as I was constantly fearing something would trigger that fear. The biological sciences, and eventually my curiosity for taxidermy, pushed me to confront that fear. Death is something far removed from our modern lives, at least outside of the movie screen, but it is an important and inevitable part of life. The more I came to understand anatomy and biology, the more my fear melted away. Taxidermy isn’t always the freshest smelling, or pleasant job at times, but there is something really special about being able to clean, preserve and put back together a part of nature.
What does an average day look like for you as a taxidermist?
I get up early, check my email and answer customer questions. Most of the day is working on customer orders, whether that be making pairs of glass eyes for other taxidermists, or sewing up foxes and other animals for customers. I’m always excited to get up in the morning, because I know I get to spend all day doing what I love.
In your Etsy bio you mention the importance of protecting ecosystems by using only ethical, sustainable and renewable sources. Why is this important to you?
Ethically sourced animal products are important to me and my customers. I want to make sure that all of the animals I work with are treated humanely and with respect, not with cruelty, as I think all animals, including farmed animals, should be. Fur is a hot topic right now, but it is one of the most renewable, biodegradable and high quality materials out there, unlike faux fur which is made with harmful chemicals and plastics. Part of creating ethical products is minimizing waste and environmental impact by using as much of the animals as possible as well as conserving environments through predator management. Hunting tags provide funding for wildlife management, and hunting itself is a useful tool to help balance and maintain healthy wildlife populations.
In your bio you also mention you do your best to “capture the essence and beauty of each animal you work with.” What is the value in seeing and capturing the beauty of nature even in death?
The value of seeing beauty in death is to inspire a sense of awe and connection. I recapture the animal’s beauty and majesty as best I can so that others can see and appreciate them as well. Taxidermy allows people to be closer to nature. It’s a snapshot of a moment in time. With the work I make, I want people to be able to touch and interact with that animal and hopefully from that give them a deeper appreciation for its beauty.
Chandra Ahlquist
Age: 26
Time in the area: Lived in Loveland since 2021
Owner of Sterling Fox Taxidermy
Where people can find your work: Etsy shop at etsy.com/shop/sterlingfoxtaxidermy and Instagram at SterlingFoxTaxidermy.
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