A MUM's macabre job has raised eyebrows after she turned a beloved piglet into a real-life piggy bank.
Rachel Lewis, from Chandler, Arizona, says her taxidermy piggies are in such high demand that people are now queueing to get their hands on them.
Having been a hairdresser for the last four years she decided to take a class in taxidermy and now runs her company Copper State Taxidermy full-time.
The 38-year-old sells her stuffed animals for anywhere between £275 ($350) to £590 ($750) and gets her animal carcasses from her hunter-husband and local farms.
Shocking pictures show the dead critter in a seated position with a cork stopper in its bottom and a small coin slot on its back.
Rachel says the piggy banks have been in high demand with queues of people pre-ordering them but added that she will keep one for her kids who also 'fell in love' with putting coins inside it.
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Despite acknowledging the young animals' deaths as "sad", she claims taxidermy helps to give the animals a second life, especially to owners who "fall in love" with them.
Taxidermist Rachel said: "I thought a piggy bank would be really cute to do.
"I tried to figure out how to make it work where it would hold the weight of change and be fully functional.
"I have two little kids and they just fell in love with it and being able to put money in the little pig piggy bank.
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"That one [money box] ended up selling, somebody got it.
"It was really labour intensive to make. Instead of making a traditional foam form, it had to be altered, cut in half, hollowed out, and the insides finished.
"I have more that I plan on doing, there will be more piggy banks coming.
"I have a larger pig that I plan on doing as a piggy bank too".
She added: "I'll definitely keep one for me and my kids to keep."
Rachel posted the hollowed-out pig online, which racked up more than 3,700 likes with the caption: "Taxidermy Piggy Bank I made".
One person commented: "I don't know how to feel, they are so cute."
Another wrote: "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy saved for a home."
One commented: "I should love this but I hate it so much! It's great taxidermy and of course, do not take my comment to heart but omg I hate it lol! Keep up the disturbing work!"
Another wrote: "I need this! So precious. I collect piggy banks."
One commented: "It's beautifully done, but a tad too disrespectful for my taste."
MORBID FASCINATION
Married to a hunter, Rachel was used to helping him clean the skulls of animals and said she'd dreamt of being a mortician from a young age.
The mum-of-two became fascinated with taxidermy and took her first class in 2019.
It was then that she realised her love for stuffing dead animals and began experimenting with some unusual creations.
Rachel offers anything from bobcats to badgers on her website as well as calves and pet rabbits.
She said: "When I was helping him with the skulls, I decided to take a taxidermy class.
"I kind of fell in love with the process.
"I was at home with my kids and just started experimenting with things. I kind of grew to love the art form and the idea of recreating something."
She believes the stillborn animals she collects from farms often "go to waste" when they are buried on the property.
She said: "I feel like they get to live a second life, especially this little piggy in particular who someone fell in love with. It's kinda cool."
Now she has more time and has honed her taxidermy skills even more, she wants to experiment with more interesting taxidermist objects including jewellery boxes or 'secret stash' compartments.
Rachel said: "It was a project that I had in my mind for about a year.
"I've been doing taxidermy now for four years and I finally had the time to kind of execute it and do that.
"I was experimenting with different things that other artists do, like ring boxes or pencil cases and things.
"We have some ideas to do goat piggy banks. It's just anything we can really come up with like little hidden compartments in some taxidermy pieces like stash jars or jewellery boxes.
"We definitely have a few things we're working on right now."
A family who had their pet golden retriever turned into an ornamental rug sparked a furious debate online.
Australian company Chimera Taxidermy created the eccentric accessory for the mourning family so the pooch could "head home".
Owner Maddy, 29, explained they had preserved the family's pet as a pelt to create a memorial that will last a lifetime.
She said it had been "tanned and turned to leather so the fur won't fall out", allowing it to take pride of place in the customer's lounge.
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The taxidermist compared the process to people keeping the ashes of a lost loved one, as the family "wanted to keep a part of him forever".
But the alternative keepsake wasn't welcomed by everyone – as many suggested it was simply disturbing to immortalise their dog this way.
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