Emily Ulceus wanted to find something to do with the dead animal carcasses piling up in her freezer, so took to making them into creepy gifts and unique charms to sell online.
A woman who admits to having a freezer “completely filled” with the bodies of dead animals is now using them to create unique art to sell to online.
Emily Ulceus, 40, from Long Island, New York, once worked in an research centre where she would analyse specimens of deceased creatures, often found or donated by members of the public. The by using traditional taxidermy methods to stuff the animals, would display some of the samples.
However, most of the animals remains would end up being stored in a freezer and never used again, resulting in a build up of the carcasses. Now, using some of the methods she learned at her old job, Emily is turning these animal parts into various pieces of art in order to avoid “waste” and “honour” the dead creatures.
Emily said: “I either had to find some way to use them or they would be thrown away. But I couldn’t let them go to waste. It’s a way for me to pay tribute to the animal the way it was in life. Now instead of rotting away, they will stay beautiful and cherished forever.”
Her new venture involves stuffing snakes and other creatures into glass jars and perfume bottles and making keyrings and jewellery out of bones, amongst other methods. She has now opened a store on Etsy and is selling her art to fans.
Prices for her pieces range from £25 ($30) to £400, ($500), depending on the item, but the savvy creator has already made thousands of sales and earned loads of 5 star reviews. Products include small animals stuffed inside ‘globes’, an eel lightbulb, a mummified cockatoo bird and even an empty liqueur bottle that now houses a dead carpet python.
Emily explained that she “loves doing it” and that her family are very supportive of her business. She said: “Marc [fiancé] has been very supportive and patient with me. There are always a lot of supplies around the house, so he’s been a good sport. The kids have grown up with it so it’s totally normal to them!”
Emily specialises in ethically sourced, formalin-fixed wet specimen preservation and shares her business journey on social media. One of her most viewed videos garnered an incredible 2.8m views. Users often flock to the comments to share their opinions – and confusion – on the bizarre items. In a recent video that clocked 49,000 likes, one user wrote: “What even is happening here?”
Another asked: “Are those pickled snakes?!” whilst one person joked “Imagine dropping a glass ball and a snake comes out, I’d instantly die.” “This as a doorknob would be sick.” another suggested and another simply wrote “This is dope.”
She said: “None of my specimens were harmed for the artwork. All of them go through museum-quality chemical preservation so they will last a lifetime. About half of my work consists of pet preservation services. I love animals and this is just one way that I can honour them.”