Leeds stuffed 99-year-old hippo being restored to 'full majesty'

Experts from Leeds and Lancashire hope to have the restoration done by July

A 99-year-old stuffed hippo is being given a "much needed makeover" before being put back on public display at a museum in West Yorkshire.

Experts said they wanted to return "Billie" to his "full majesty" before he went on show once again.

Records show the 375lb (170kg) beast died from an intestinal obstruction on 12 July 1932, when he was aged seven.

A museum spokesperson said seeing Billie was a chance to experience how "huge and impressive" hippos are.

They added that the taxidermy restoration was being carried out by conservation experts from Leeds and Lancashire at the Leeds Discovery Centre.

Billie survived the wartime bombing of Leeds in 1941 which destroyed much of the collection at the old museum site on Park Row.

Billie the hippo weighs 375lb (170kg) and will be 100 next year

Before his demise, he had been a star attraction at London Zoo in the 1920s - an era when zoos were becoming more popular and dead exotic animals were often purchased by taxidermists.

Lucie Mascord, a specialist conservation officer at Lancashire County Council's Conservation Studios, said: "Taxidermy like this can still hold significant educational value.

"Few people have seen a hippo, let alone one unsubmerged by water.

"Working on a full mount hippo is a rare opportunity for a natural history conservator.

"I am very lucky to be able to take my time to learn more about the animal and to have the honour of returning this hippo to its full majesty so it can be shared with many more people for years to come."

Billie used to be a star attraction at London Zoo before his untimely death

A Leeds City Museums spokesperson said that when conservation work on Billie was finished, he would be placed next to the famous Armley Hippo, the bones of an extinct species of hippo which lived near what is now Armley Gyratory around 130,000 years ago.

The bones of that hippo were found in 1851 by workmen digging in the area.

Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries curator of natural sciences, added: "Historic specimens like Billie can also teach us a great deal about how we can protect and conserve hippos and other vulnerable species today."