Taxidermy

Well, if someone hunts an animal and decides they want taxidermy done, I don't think that is cruel. Definitely not as cruel as how animals are treated on farms, that's for sure. I am not against hunting. Most hunters are ethical, and make sure to make clean kills and are very respectful of their animals.

There are about eight deer heads hanging above my head as I type this. No, it's not cruel. They were hunted fairly.

If the animal was killed only for that reason. A deer head on the wall I have no problem with because the deer was actually eaten for survival.

HI all, it is cruel in the fact that many people would kill the animal just to have it stuffed.

Taxidermy - stuffing the skin/pelt of a dead animal.

The real issue is: How did that animal die? If you killed it just to stuff it - you have to live with yourself afterwards. Perhaps those glass eyes on your stuffed deer head (etc) ask you "Why?" ever after.
But it is entirely different if (for instance) this animal died of old age (etc) and you decided to preserve the skin as a taxidermy. For some people, this is a way of mourning a deceased pet. Not what I'd choose, but others ought to have a right to do it if they wish. For instance, George IV dearly loved his pet giraffe. When it became ill (through mistreatment it suffered earlier in its life), George went to immense efforts to ensure it was given full vet care and TLC. His heroic efforts gave it a few more years of happy life before it died. When it died, he was heartbroken and had the remains taxidermied as his way of remembering the animal. (Here's a picture of the giraffe - the cows in the background supplied it with milk to drink).

Taxidermy in and of itself isn't cruel - how could it be? It's not hurting the animal. It's how the animal was possibly killed that's the cruel part.