Ethics & Values
Into The Black work with various animal specimens in the creation of our work. It is our goal to always maintain an honest and transparent approach to our operations and provide details on how we obtain the specimens we work with.
Each and every product that we list on our website is created with the utmost care and respect. We want you to treasure these pieces as we do, to honour and appreciate nature and all species with whom we share this planet. There is beauty in all creatures - both in life and in death.
We are thoughtful in our approach to how and who we procure our specimens from. Our bones are acquired in several ways - foraged from vast private properties owned by family, procured from farms post mortem and processed/cleaned ourselves or purchased directly from taxidermists who align with our values.
Our taxidermy is procured from trusted artists who work with animals who have been passed on to them after they have died naturally or sometimes via roadkill. They also partner with farms to obtain specimens post mortem which would otherwise be destroyed. We always do our due diligence to seek assurance that animals obtained in this way have been euthanised humanely.
Butterflies, insects and other invertebrates come from insect farms where they all live through their full lifecycle. When they pass away, undamaged specimens are sold to artists, education centres and museums to created entomological taxidermy. We are one of those artists and we pin and mount the majority of the specimens sold on this website. These farms also support conservation by releasing specimens into the wild to ensure a balanced and healthy ecosystem is maintain.
Where Do Your Ducklings And Chicks Come From?
The unfortunate and tragic side of the egg production industry is that male birds are disposed of - either destroyed or frozen and sold to zoos and pet shops as reptile food. None of our birds are endangered species nor have they been removed from the wild. All specimens were procured from farms post mortem, prior to them being disposed of or destroyed. Whilst it’s always preferential to source animals who have died from natural causes, we believe that preserving these precious ducklings and chicks for respectful and thoughtful owners who will treasure them can help create awareness.
Into The black will never work with CITIES listed species and no animals we work with were killed specifically for art. We do not work with or sell native species. We are, first and foremost, animal and nature lovers and as such take great care to work with likeminded individuals and businesses.
We hand forage the majority of our botanicals ourselves. We choose, sticks, leaves and other natural resources which are already dried. We work with a local florist who preserve flowers, to procure other native flora.
These are the values which underpin our operations. If you have any further questions or comments please feel free to reach out to us via our contact form.
