Bear may be the icing on the auction

Proctor auctions manager Ronnie Proctor examines Pete the polar bear, the star attraction in a...
Proctor auctions manager Ronnie Proctor examines Pete the polar bear, the star attraction in a taxidermy auction being held at the end of the month. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
Pete the polar bear is the star attraction of an upcoming taxidermy auction at Proctor Auctions and is expected to go for as much as $40,000.

It will be the first taxidermy auction for 2022 for the auction house, and was pencilled in for the end of March.

While polar bears are not commonly found in the southern hemisphere, manager Ronnie Proctor said it was the third time one of the arctic stuffed animals had come before his auction block in the past 12 months.

Both previous bears had sold for about $40,000, and this specimen was expected to sell for a similar amount.

The polar bear was being sold by a collector in Queenstown, and Mr Proctor wondered how many other examples were out there in Otago and Southland.

There had been a resurgence of interest in taxidermy auctions in recent years.

While the auction was expected to be a smaller one of about 150 to 200 lots, the quality of the mounts on offer was excellent Mr Proctor said.

"You should see the size of the elks that are still sitting on the floor. I’m trying to find some more space to put them in, but the quality of the stuff is just phenomenal."

-- andrew.marshall@odt.co.nz

 

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