Work to repair Norwich Castle’s 19th century polar bear is set to start after it was damaged while being moved around the building.
A Norfolk Museum’s Service (NMS) spokesman said that while waiting to be mended the 9ft taxidermy bear will remain on display.
He said: “A small section of the internal metal wire armature which runs through the leg and paw has become dislodged from the front paw but is still attached, and there is no danger of the paw falling off.
“The repairs will be carried out internally by the NMS conservation team once the school holidays are finished, due to the popular nature of this exhibit.”
It is not the first time the polar bear has needed special attention, having been put in a large freezer last year as part of an effort to kill off a clothes moth infestation.
It is one of 11 items on display in Norfolk museums which have been damaged over the last three years, as revealed by a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Norfolk County Council.
Including the bear, four items were damaged at Norwich Castle, five at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, one at the Ancient House Museum and one at County Hall.
Two of the oldest items to be harmed are from the 19th century, including a “Suffolk type chair”, which has been damaged by woodworm and being sat on by visitors, which is no longer usable, while an oil painting called 'Edge of Wood' by J Stark has a broken frame.
'The Descent from the Cross (after Van Dyck)', a drawing by Frederick Jackson from 1866, and 'Girl Fishing' a painting by Mia Brown around 1918, were both water damaged in May and July of this year respectively and are awaiting repair.
A small engraved stemmed glass, a wooden dining chair and a small china cup all from the early 1900s were broken or damaged, probably by visitors to Gressenhall.
A painting of The Rt Hon Ailwyn Edward Fellowes, a Conservative politician, by Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley in 1924 - which was hung in County Hall - was scratched, but the cause is unknown.
The spokesman added: “NMS takes great care of its collections and damage to objects in our care is rare. We have specialist teams of curators who care for our collections across the service, whether they are on display or in store.
“These curators are supported by our in-house team of expert conservators who can undertake most specialist repair work that is required.”
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