I love to mount birds, and even though I have an extensive background mounting them, I sure had my hands full when I was approached to mount a rhea. Because I was unfamiliar with the shape of a rhea’s body, many thoughts went through my mind on how to re-create the body for this large bird. Options considered were making a quick mold out of plaster from the carcass, or heating a bowl of hot-melt glue sticks and pouring a two-part mold. Even making a fiberglass mold popped into my mind, but due to the short time I had to skin this bird, I was unable to use any of these choices. I shied away from a wrapped body due to the weight factor. Consideration of the weight was very important, since it is difficult mounting turkeys and similar big birds with heavy legs and wild wings.
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