Taxidermied polar bear sells for $44,000 in Dunedin

This taxidermied polar bear sold for $44,000 at Proctors Auction in Dunedin yesterday. Photo / Supplied

A cool $44,000 — that appears to be the market value of a taxidermied polar bear.

It was the top bid at Proctors Auction in Dunedin yesterday, and manager Ronnie Proctor said it was one of the highest prices for a taxidermied item the auction house had recorded.

One of the prize lots in the auction was the skeleton of a male heavy-footed moa, found in the Takaka region.

It had attracted a pre-auction bid of $29,000, but staff were surprised when it failed to sell, he said.

''We're not sure why. They are under offer at the moment.

''There's a couple of people who are wanting to look a bit more closely at them.''

The bones were expected to sell because new regulations under the Wildlife Act were being considered by the Government at present, and they would soon make it illegal to sell or trade parts of extinct native animals.

The giraffe head also failed to sell and was also under offer.

Proctor said a whale penis, which had been fashioned into a walking stick, also fetched a good price — more than $1800.

''The lion went for about $10,000, the wolf went for $6000, the musk-ox went for just over $5000 and the same with the Cape buffalo.

''Overall, things went really well. The prices were quite buoyant and there was quite a large crowd.

''There were about 300 registered bidders online as well.''

Proctor said the auction was made up of pieces from four private collections.

He said there had been a resurgence in taxidermy in recent years.

''You still get the guys who still love putting it in their man-caves, but this stuff is pretty special.

''The quality of it was really up there — museum quality — and it attracted a lot of collectors who are looking for that A-plus quality type stuff.

''It's rare to be able to get your hands on a polar bear. He was pretty spectacular,
this one.''