--Chad Love

Here's one from the "Shoulda Stuck With The Jackalope" files. A Miami, Florida man is accused of illegally smuggling animal parts from all over the globe so he could fashion them into taxidermy "art."

From this story in Palm Beach Sun-Sentinel:

Miami Beach sculptor Enrique Gomez De Molina fashions bird beaks, antelope hooves and other wildlife parts into fanciful animals and calls it art. Federal prosecutors call it a felony. De Molina has been charged with wildlife smuggling for allegedly importing a vast range of protected animal parts from China, Indonesia, Bali, Thailand and the Philippines into the United States for a highly profitable art business.

Among his purchases: An orangutan skull, king cobra, a slow loris, a woolly stork, skulls of heavy-beaked birds called hornbills, a rare bird called the Himalayan Monal and many other protected species, according to court papers filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

"...If convicted, the artist faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. De Molina's artworks are fanciful animals thrown together from mammal, bird, reptile and insect parts. A four-legged creation called Paradise consists of an orange-beaked, tufted bird's head, a thin furry neck, the body of some sort of mammal, legs with hooves and a feathery tail. Among the parts used to make this work, according to the caption on the artist's web site, were bird of paradise, pheasant, hornbill, fallow deer and mouflon ram.

"The impossibility of my sculpture brings me both joy and sadness at the same time," De Molina, 48, says on his web site.

Hmmm, wonder which emotion he's feeling right about now? I'm guessing sadness--but they say all artists must suffer for their art, and with a little free time in a federal clinky who knows what creatures he might come up with? Any suggestions?

Comments (6)

from jakenbake wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

Last I heard they dont treat dandies all that kindly in federal prison. Here's hoping he actually GETS time rather than a mere slap on the wrist. Animal smuggling is a HUGE problem that needs to be dealt with SEVERELY.

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from wildcaller11 wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

This is wrong. I don't quite understand what he see's in this "art" he sure will see what it gets him in the pen.

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from Sarge01 wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

My question is. Who would want something like this?

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from 1Browning2 wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

Sarge01, the sad thing is, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would want something like this. There are some eccentric people out there who call that 'art'.

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from Hil wrote 25 weeks 21 hours ago

This further supports my theory that all art people are at least a little bit weird. Some a lot more than others.

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from VB... wrote 24 weeks 6 days ago

OK, I'll say it. This is not art its crap!
VB...

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from jakenbake wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

Last I heard they dont treat dandies all that kindly in federal prison. Here's hoping he actually GETS time rather than a mere slap on the wrist. Animal smuggling is a HUGE problem that needs to be dealt with SEVERELY.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Hil wrote 25 weeks 21 hours ago

This further supports my theory that all art people are at least a little bit weird. Some a lot more than others.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from wildcaller11 wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

This is wrong. I don't quite understand what he see's in this "art" he sure will see what it gets him in the pen.

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from Sarge01 wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

My question is. Who would want something like this?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from 1Browning2 wrote 25 weeks 1 day ago

Sarge01, the sad thing is, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would want something like this. There are some eccentric people out there who call that 'art'.

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from VB... wrote 24 weeks 6 days ago

OK, I'll say it. This is not art its crap!
VB...

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