At Nature Walk Curio we want to offer stunning and unique naturalist pieces, without the ecological damage that is often associated with similar industries. To avoid that we source specimens sustainably through places like conservatories, retired collections, and regulated breeding programs.Even our farm raised specimens often have a net positive impact as they come from rural rainforest communities that are able to rely more on the specimens we purchase and less on land clearing crops that contribute to deforestation.

"Ethically sourced" is a term seen frequently on oddity and curiosity sites that can be unclear and misleading. "Ethical" is very subjective to each individual's own moral and ethical codes. We always encourage customers to ask more questions about sourcing to make sure a business's ethics align with their own.

Our humanely sourced specimens usually come from one of three sources.First, conservatories. Our conservatory specimens come from educational facilities that closely replicate their native habitats (minus the predators) so they can live a natural lifespan and pass naturally. After they pass they are collected by the entomology team and purchased by Nature Walk Curio to be repurposed.Second, directly from breeders. We often source directly from breeders who raise their own stock, allow them to reproduce, and then house their breeders until they pass naturally.Third, retired and repurposed collections. People have been collecting insects for centuries, and sometimes when people pass or museums cycle through new inventory, old collections are left neglected. Nature Walk Curio acquires these collections from places like estate sales and auctions so that our experienced artisans can restore and respread them into new mountings. Some of the oldest specimens we've worked with have been up to a century old. With the right conditions and care these specimens can last almost indefinitely. While we cannot make guaruntees about how these older specimens were originally sourced, we consider them humane in the same sense as a fur coat purchased from a thrift store. By sourcing them second hand, they do not contribute to any existing trade.We always try to clearly label all our specimens according to how they were sourced and don't hesitate to ask questions!**Note: Humane specimens usually have some notable degree of damage because of the way they are sourced. Each individual flaw is part of their story. Businesses that label their specimens as humane but only offer near pristine specimens may not be fully honest about their sourcing.