What is the practice of 'taxidermy'?

Taxidermy refers specifically to the practice of preparing and preserving the skins of animals to maintain their appearance after death. This art form allows the finished specimens to resemble the living animals closely, capturing their physical characteristics for display or study. Practitioners of taxidermy carefully remove the skin, clean and treat it to prevent decay, and then mount it over a structured form to recreate the animal's shape and features.

The other options represent different practices: cooking meat pertains to culinary skills, breeding animals focuses on reproduction for livestock or pets, and training animals is centered on behavioral conditioning. None of these accurately describe taxidermy, which is solely concerned with preservation rather than any aspect of living or cooking animals.