Jacksonville man auctions extensive collection of wildlife taxidermy – The Florida Times-Union

Frank Chapman waited and watched as one by one his animals — a passion of a lifetime — found new homes Saturday.
Frozen forever in time — an African lion with its front paws outstretched toward unseen prey, a towering brown bear reared up on its hind legs and a bengal tiger with its head tilted appearing alert for the slightest sound.
Those were just a few of the wild animals Chapman brought home — stuffed and mounted — to Jacksonville.
Chapman never fired a shot.
“I killed them with my wallet,” said Chapman, who is not a hunter. He bought the animals already mounted from taxidermists and other sellers including a museum that was going out of business and selling its collection.
The 83-year-old construction contractor fell in love with taxidermied animals when he was a boy.
“My grandpa had a little stuffed wildcat. When I was 6 or 7 years old, I used to make my grandmother go get it from the upstairs closet so I could pet it,” Chapman said.
It was fun, Chapman said, so he went and got one of his own. That led to another and another over the years as his life-long love of wildlife and appreciation for the art of taxidermy grew.
Chapman said he’s downsizing his collection. He sold about 85 of the animal mounts ranging from a tiny chipmunk and pint-size prairie dogs to a full-size pouncing African lion, a cheetah mid-stride, a standing Bengal tiger and two bears — a small grizzly on a rock and a towering brown bear.
“I used to have this in my house. It’s just the wife and I so I have room for the animals. So I built this add-on so I could put the animals in there,” he said.
A twinkle in his eyes, Chapman grinned as he conceded there still were one, two or maybe a few more animals at home. He and his wife, Marge, still have room for some of his critters. He’s also given some of his prized animals to family members, he said.
In addition to the taxidermied animals, Chapman also sold heavy equipment and tools accumulated over the years during the auction held at his Greenland Road construction company Saturday. Two portable decompression chambers used by divers were among the more unique pieces of equipment auctioned off.
However, the animals were a big draw — attracting would-be buyers as well as taxidermy admirers. Bids also came in over the internet.
Chapman estimated spending a total of $150,000 to originally buy the animals auctioned Saturday. Chapman collected them over the years on his travels — both for work and on vacation — throughout Florida and beyond. All had been legally bought.
Before the auction, state and federal wildlife officers inspected the animals to ensure it was legal to sell them. Chapman said he gave away several foxes after being told it would have been illegal to sell them.
Auctioneer Luman Beasley, perched atop a ladder in the room packed with bidders, reminded them that by law only Florida residents were allowed to buy the animals, and they had to swear that the animals would stay in the state.
Beasley kept the mood light although the bidding was intense at times.
“Here you are, guys. Maintenance-free pets,” Beasley joked at one point during an ever-so brief lull in the bidding.
A river otter mounted on a piece of driftwood sold for $250. A raccoon peeping out of a knot hole went for $600, while a bobcat on a limb brought $500.
The large and exotic animals sold for more. The bengal tiger went for $4,000, the brown bear sold for $6,200 and the lion for $4,100.
“They all have their own story,” Chapman said of each animal. Pointing to each animal one-by-one he shared their tales with people who came to bid and those just visiting his collection. Chapman also explained the animals’ characteristics in the wild.
From the caracal lynx, also known as the desert lynx native to Africa, to the spotted Axis Chital deer native to the Indian subcontinent, he knew each of the species.
Chubby cheeks puffed out, a tiny stuffed chipmunk fit easily in the palm of Pam Weatherly’s hand as she proudly carried it out after winning his auction.
“I love him. He’s adorable,” Weatherly said.
A.Z. Guiragossian came away with a bobcat and an antique rifle.
“I have a little room up at the front of the house that I made into a man cave so I think this will be good in there,” Guiragossian said.
Derek Lindsey came in search of additions to his taxidermy collection. Before the animals went up on the auction block, he won one of the decompression chambers that he planned to renovate into an aquarium for his collection of exotic catfish including Brazilian redtail.
Lindsey hoped to get one of the several taxidermied wild rams up for auction. He also has an African-themed room that always could use a few additions, said his mother, Shirley Lindsey who accompanied him to the auction.
Her son traces his love of animals to when he was about 2 years old and saw a bear in the woods near the family’s Mandarin home. By age 10, he was collecting taxidermied animals. Since then, Lindsey has done taxidermy mainly working with fur and horns as a hobby including crafting her a reindeer pelt.
“Look at that one. It still looks alive,” said Lindsey, pointing out several of the animals including an axis chital deer and dall sheep mounts. “It is an art. It takes somebody who loves animals and has a lot of patience.”
Parting with his animals, Chapman said, was bittersweet. That others wanted them enough to bid, made it easier to see them go.
“I’ve had them so many years, and I’m not here that much,” said Chapman, explaining he works all over the United States on pipeline jobs.
“I think they’ll be appreciated,” he said.
Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075

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