Hatterscheidt Wildlife Gallery

The Hatterscheidt Wildlife Gallery features over 40 mounted specimens from North America, Africa, and Asia.

Most of the animals came from the collection of Fred Hatterscheidt (1893-1973), an Aberdeen businessman and sportsman who traveled on six safaris in the 1940s – 1950s to Africa, India, Northern Canada, and Alaska. In his time, big game hunting was a widely accepted sport of choice for a man of his stature. Also, when he made these journeys, the animals were not considered endangered. Hatterscheidt was the son of immigrant pioneers, having moved from Germany to America with his parents as a child. His interests in field sports and the outdoors began in his youth, hunting prairie chickens. Hatterscheidt was also one of the donors of the museum building in 1970. Other animals in the exhibit were donated by Frank Scepaniak, Dr. Joe Chang, Albert Pansegrau, Joan Gore, and South Dakota Game Fish and Parks.

The wildlife exhibit was extensively renovated in 2003-2004 and re-opened in 2005. Hand-painted murals fill the room, creating a vibrant habitat for the animals, which depict a day in the life of the earth, beginning on the east wall with midnight and the constellations in the night sky over the Himalayas and Mount Everest. Midday sun illuminates the American plains, and a rainstorm looms over the African grassland. Hand-carved foam sculpture provides shape for the topography of the setting. Head mounts have painted bodies that are incorporated into the murals on the walls, and all mounts are displayed at their actual (average) height, except for the giraffe – the ceiling is not high enough! The exhibit is divided into four regions: the Arctic/Tundra (southeast corner), North America (south wall), Africa (northwest corner) and India (northeast portion of the gallery) and the animals are displayed accordingly. The majority of the painting in the exhibit was done by Lora Schaunaman, former museum curator of exhibits, and Debra Many-Carsen, a local wildlife artist, who’s intricate work rendered the animals’ painted bodies. Other artists who volunteered to assist were Rebecca Mulvaney, Nick Fischer, Nathan Cantwell, Gwen Schaunaman and Aaron Carson. Taxidermists from Seattle, the second generation of a business which originally worked with Fred Hatterscheidt, were consulted and assisted with care and cleaning of the animals. Over time the wild cats on exhibit, especially the leopard, had lost whiskers. Shed whiskers from domesticated house cats belonging to one of the artists were used to replace them. Since renovation, the wildlife gallery has become a favorite of museum goers and a valued educational exhibit of worldwide natural history.

The dominant figure in the room, the African Elephant, weighed approximately 7 tons and stood 11’3” at the shoulder. In Hatterscheidt’s collection, it was among the most prized of the specimens. The tusks are replicated and made of fiberglass, not as heavy as the original ivory tusks. Even so, structural engineers were consulted to advise on how to safely hang the immensely heavy mount on the historic wall where it is displayed. African elephants are the largest of all land mammals. Students from CC Lee Elementary School in Aberdeen voted to donate money from their annual fundraiser to the museum. When Sue Gates, former museum director, visited the school to receive the gift, she presented options to the students for use of the donation. The children chose to have the money spent on improving the elephant. Their generous gift totaled over $2,000 – an impressive sum! Thus, the elephant gained its legs, which were made of hand-sculpted foam, joint compound, and textured paint, adding balance to the animal’s appearance. Since then, the elephant has been nicknamed, “Peanuts.”

Displayed near the elephant, the ostrich represents the largest bird species in the world. In contrast of size, the tiny African dik-diks, are fully grown specimens and the smallest of the antelope family. The Gaur (black bison from India) is an impressive full mount and when it was acquired, may have been the largest of its kind on record. On the opposite side of the room, the moose with its sizeable mantle, is the largest of the deer family. Several types of bears from the Americas are represented including polar bear, grizzly bear, Kodiak brown bear, and Alaska black bear. South Dakota’s state bird and animal, the pheasant and coyote, are also on display. Did you know? The pheasant is not native to the Americas. It was introduced to the area from China in the early 1900s. Many more various kinds of animals may be seen in the exhibit including caribou, elk, Dall sheep, bison, deer, golden eagle, wolverine, Bengal tiger, rhinoceros, zebra, lion, gazelle, leopard, various birds, small mammals, etc. An informative brochure is available in the gallery for more facts about the animals.