Imagine the thrill of coming face to face with a lion in the small town of Belton, SC, without the fear of being attacked, or smelling the rancid odor of its kill on its breath, or hearing its terrifying roar that sets your fight-or-flight impulse on edge. You can study the beast up close, you can reach out and touch its fur, you can  sense the majesty of its power.  It is not an animatronic, it is not a one-dimensional drawing—it once was alive in Africa and is preserved in its natural state through the art of taxidermy.  This amazing lion and over 100 more mounts of African, Amazonian, and North American creatures, some already extinct,  have been donated as the centerpiece of a new museum in South Carolina.  Adding to the considerable collection of mounts are Native American artifacts, fossils gathered from around the world and gemstones and rocks that tell our earth’s origin story.