Katie Hardwick (38) was a dancer. Today he makes dead mice dance. Every day the British girl prepares about five mice which she attaches to stripper posts, circus hoops and even yoga mats. He publishes photos of his works on the Internet.
“I started sharing them on TikTok which went viral with 5.9 million views and 65,500 subscribers,” Hardwick told UK newspaper The Sun. A mother of two learned this particular hobby after her husband James encouraged her to do so. It was also he who gave her the necessary tools for Christmas. The beginning of her taxidermy career.
“After some training, the house started getting fuller,” explains Katie. So her husband suggested that she try to sell these songs on the Internet – with success.
“I am persecuted by rabid vegans”
The interest in the rodents was immediate. The British can make a good living off of it now. He earns the equivalent of around 120,000 francs a year on mice. A piece costs the equivalent of 65 to 240 francs.
But not everyone likes dead mice. “Lots of rabid vegans attacked me,” says Katie Hardwick. “Some people have told me that this mouse didn’t just die to be immortalized as a stripper!”
«To make mice, I first defrost them»
A woman from the south of England cannot understand the criticism. “This is supposed to be fun. It would be a completely different practice if I were working with the rare elephant head. I buy all of my mice from a pet store, where they sell them as reptile feed – they are already dead and frozen. ‘
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Many will think she was covered in blood all day long, working with mice while wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves. “But the process is not that chaotic. To make mice, I first defrost them and then skin them. ” He then treats the animals to kill any bacteria, and finally forms a small clay head, then wire legs and arms.
Children are enthusiastic about mice
Katie’s husband James is often disgusted by playing mice as the ex-dancer deals with dead rodents on the family dining room table. But the British children like her mother’s work.
“My daughter Vera is obsessed and loves to watch me work,” explains Hardwick. “When she was in kindergarten, one of her teachers asked me what I did because she couldn’t understand what Vera was saying about my job.”
Their five-year-old daughter Vera and their one-year-old son Cooper grew up thinking this was perfectly normal. The Briton is very happy about it. According to their own statements, their mice are especially popular around Christmas and in America. (obf)