Taxidermy is a complicated and skilled profession - you don't just stuff a bird with polyfill, you have to understand its anatomy, physiology and behaviour in order to do a proper job. I, too, spent quite a while working in the Zoo lab at Uni and was great friends with the resident taxidermist. He taught us a lot about his art and explained why it's important to keep replica animals (ie. taxidermy specimens) which demonstrate the way an animal looks in nature.
For example, our Head of Department used to travel the world, visiting other institutions and swapping dead specimens of the 'rare and endangered red kangaroo' (yeah, right!) for specimens from elsewhere. In this way, he got a wonderful tiger's skull from India and the skin of a skunk from the US. I remember the day it (the skunk skin) arrived. Phew! It stunk! We had to soak it for days and days in stuff to get most of the smell out. Anyway, the taxidermist took ages researching skunks and their natural habits in order to do a good job in making a stuffed specimen. The finished product was brilliant, showing the animal in an aggressive pose with its back up (LOL!). The thing is, without the gift and preservation of that skin, most of us Aussie yokels would never clap eyes on a skunk, living or dead. The taxidermy allowed us to see the animal in a natural pose and get some idea of how a skunk skunks! (NB. It is nigh-on impossible for animals to be imported to this country without acres of red tape and cost. So no, there are no skunks in zoos.)
On another occasion, a popular performing Australian Fur Seal died at Sea World. The owners donated his body to our Uni and he became another stuffed specimen in our department with lots of photos showing him working as he had in life. The owners were stoked at the results of the taxidermy and very happy that Searle had ended up as a teaching tool in our Zoo department.
Smaller specimens of reptiles etc were freeze dried in the new freeze-drying machine and that had a few hilarious results. When there was an overabundance of bearded dragons one year, Glenn (the taxidermists) made a complete rock band with miniature guitars and drum kit. This was also put on display near the door of the museum.
As Glenn explained to me, it's one thing stuffing owls to stick in glass cases, but quite another to tackle a skunk or a fur seal! He was forever looking for new and exciting ways of working his art and took pride in making specimens that expressed the live animal well. The fact is, there are teaching institutions that require lifelike specimens. There are those who want to keep a loved pet's stuffed skin in their homes. There are those who think a stuffed pheasant is decorative. There are those who keep stuffed trophies of animals they have shot and killed. It's not my cup of tea, but it's grist for a taxidermist's mill. It's not a profession I would want to follow, but it has its place and is fascinating in its way.
hahahaha 
