About 4 years ago, I shot a leopard and hyena on a hunt in Zimbabwe (Matetsi, Unit 2). It took about two years for the trophies to arrive - dipped and packed - which is not really unusual for Zimbabwe. When these, among others, arrived, my taxidermist quickly identified that the leopard and hyena skins had not been properly prepared, and much of the skins was rotted. In particular, both animals had effectively lost their ears, and most of the leopard was unusable.
I asked my taxidermist to see what was possible, and to do his best. It took some time, but the taxidermist managed to put together two head mounts, on one small pedestal. Both animals' ears were re-built using skin from cougars, and the leopard neck and what little there is of his chest is from the back of the body.
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While I was quite disappointed not to get the full mount leopard I was intending, I ended up with far more than I thought possible given the state of the skins. And, of course, it means I have to go back for the full mount.
