PHOTOS BY FARRAH MAFFAI staff The young adult North American black bear, shown on a tree outside the Schwendemans’ shop last week, will be the focal point of the display.

By the time summer arrives, at least one American black bear, gray squirrel, chipmunk, skunk and rabbit will be in view on the Greek island of Crete.

Schwendeman’s Taxidermy Studio and Museum Services, located on Main Street in Milltown, has been working in conjunction with the Yale University Peabody Museum on an exhibit of northeastern wildlife for the Crete Museum of Natural History in Heraklion — just in time for visitors attending the Summer Olympics.

The island is hosting the Olympic soccer events, which should draw large numbers of tourists who will be visiting the area and its museums.

According to David B. Schwendeman, a Roosevelt resident who is part of a two-man operation with his father, David J. Schwendeman, the display will be a section of Connecticut woodland surrounding a large white oak tree. Climbing this tree will be an adult black bear and a gray squirrel.

David J. Schwendeman looks at a skunk he readied for shipment to Greece.

There will also be small bushes, rocks and "leaf litter" with an inquisitive raccoon, a running chipmunk, a startled beaver, a walking woodchuck, a sleepy-eyed rabbit, and a skunk that is "thinking of spraying."

A hungry black vulture will be perched on a branch in the tree, overlooking a potential meal.

" ‘Biodiversity of New England’ is the theme for the exhibit," said Jane Pickering, of the Peabody Museum.

The main centerpiece is about 2,500 square feet, which includes an 18-foot artificial white oak tree 3 feet in diameter, she said.

Roosevelt resident David B. Schwendeman, working last week at his shop in Milltown, cleans the eyes of a rabbit for an exhibit to be on display during the Summer Olympics in Greece.

Pickering said the Schwendemans were chosen because of their excellent reputation in the business.

"They came highly recommended," she said.

David B. Schwendeman said his shop has worked with Yale University before, but that they "have not done anything international like this."

He said about two-thirds of their business stems from museums, nature centers or other nonprofit organizations, while one-third is from individual sportsmen.

"It used to be the reverse," he said.

The younger Schwendeman noted that none of the animals were killed for the exhibit.

"The vulture and rabbit were found dead in or near Roosevelt," he said.

David J. said the bear skin was left at the shop about 10 years ago by a hunter who "never came back."

The Schwendemans use polyurethane foam mannequins to form the bodies.

"There are companies that make various sizes and poses," David J. said. "We couldn’t get one climbing a tree, so we took one standing and cut the [foam] legs at the joints to change the position. We turned the head to have him looking down at the viewer."

He said that even the expressions of the animal can be modeled under the skin.

"We can have it snarling, close its eyes a little, or perk up its ears to look alert," he said. "It’s part of the craft and art of taxidermy."

The eyes are made of glass, the tongue is made from rubber or flexible plastic, he said, but the claws are actually from an animal.

For smaller animals such as birds, they make their own "soft body."

"Wires are put in the legs and wings that are attached to the body," David J. said.

His parents, Arthur and Lillian, started the family business in 1921. David J. joined the business in 1946 before taking a job in 1958 as the chief taxidermist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he remained for 30 years.

David B. first joined the business in 1977 after receiving his master’s degree in zoology from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He was able to learn from his grandfather before Arthur passed away in 1980.

In 1988, David J. rejoined the business with his son.

David J. said most people think of taxidermy as a "joke" because of the way it is portrayed in movies.

"It’s a science and an art," he said. "We try to replicate the living animal and preserve it."

Last week, the bear was taken to New York City where it was to be attached to the artificial tree before being shipped abroad. Laura Friedman has been constructing the tree in her sixth-floor Manhattan apartment.

The exhibit will be on display in Crete for one year.