Loggers make a strange discovery In The Middle Of A Hollow Tree

Preservation

Kristine explained it bit by bit. She started by specifying the process of tissue decay that this begins with the putrefying process when microbes eat the tissue soon after death. “They grow, they reproduce, and they start taking over the body,” she mentioned. Her further explanation was more logical.

Keeping It Alive

The chestnut trees include tannin and desiccant, an organic substance which can absorb moisture. According to her this one of the distinctive characteristics of the chestnut tree restricted the nature from taking its course.  This property created an environment for the body to last without moisture which stopped the microbes. But what was wrong with the scavengers who smells the body from far off places and ran towards their food.

Masking The Scent

“Anything that would eat dead flesh would never know he was in the tree,” said Bertha Sue Dixon, Southern Forest World’s director. When there were no microbes, there was no smell that could lure flesh eaters. The smell was blown upwards through the hollow trunk like a chimney and no predator was able to get to it. But one question about this mystery remained as the biggest question. How was he even there? 

The Final Chase

As per Bertha, “He’s a hunting dog, so we assumed that he was chasing something in the tree.” In 1960, this dog’s age was 4 years old when he died, and was chasing a raccoon or a squirrel. He followed the prey inside the tree from any open hole or he might have dug his way into the tree. The more he tried to chase his prey the more upward he went but being a dog what he didn’t notice was that the hollow tree was narrower towards the top. Surprisingly, he got stuck amused everyone who got to know about the height where he got stuck!

Way Too High

He got stuck at a height of 28 ft, which is exactly 336 inches and sadly got stuck there and was never able to make out of the chestnut tree alive. The museum states, “A chimney effect occurred in the hollow tree, resulting in an upward draft of air. This caused the scent of the dead animal to be carried away, which otherwise would have attracted insects and other organisms that feed on dead animals. The hollow tree also provided relatively dry conditions, and the tannic acid of the oak helped harden the animal’s skin.” The people have different thoughts about the dog who now has a name.

The Dog Has A Name

The dog had no name for decades until 2002. The mummified dog is quite popular in the Southern Forest World. It’s kept on display right at the center of the museum. In the middle of several tree specimens like cypress, oak, and pine trees. He is like an ambassador of the museum that his image is on the promotional materials and even postcards.