Experts from Lancashire have been called in over the Pennines to help a Yorkshire museum restore one of its prized possessions.

Lucie Mascord, specialist conservation officer from Lancashire County Council, has been drafted in to spruce up Billie the hippopotamus, a favourite of visitors at Leeds Discovery Centre for decades.

The hippo, which is almost 100 years old, is showing signs of wear and tear as the years take their toll, and needs to be restored before going back on display.

Lucie, along with a team of curators from Leeds Museums and Galleries in the West Yorkshire city, has been giving Billie a makeover, repairing cracked paintwork and plaster on the hippo's face and stomach.

As one of England's top conservation studies, Lancashire's Conservation Studios were drafted in to restore Billie to his former glory before he goes on display alongside a pre-historic ancestor discovered in the city.

Lancashire Telegraph: The hippo is almost a century old!The hippo is almost a century old! (Image: Lancashire County Council)

Lucie​ 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."

During his living days, Billie lived at London Zoo and was a star attraction for visitors during the 1920s, when the popularity of zoos soared as the public revelled in the opportunity to see animals from all around the world.

Billie died aged just seven - hippos usually live up to 50 years - from an intestinal obstruction in 1932, with his remains bought by taxidermists, stuffed, and bought by Leeds City Museum six years later.

Weighing 170kg, Billie went on display and came through World War Two unscathed, when bombing destroyed much of the museum's collection, before being relocated to Leeds Discovery Centre.

Once restored, Billie will go on display back at Leeds City Museum next to the bones of the famous Armley Hippo, bones of an extinct species of hippo which lived 130,000 years ago - during the last Ice Age - dug up in the city, showing how far hippos roamed in those days.

The bones were discovered in 1851 by workers digging clay.

Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries curator of natural sciences, said: “Billie is certainly one the most recognisable specimens in our taxidermy collection and visitors are always curious to see such a complete example of a hippo up close and get a sense of how huge and impressive these animals really are.

“It’s great that we’ve teamed up with our colleagues from Lancashire and we’d like to thank them for helping us bring Billie back to his best before he becomes part of a display which tells the story of how these remarkable creatures and their habitats have evolved over thousands of years.

“Historic specimens like Billie can also teach us a great deal about how we can protect and conserve hippos and other vulnerable species today.”

The conservation work has been supported by the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society and Arts Council England.

The Leeds Discovery Centre is home to more than a million objects and is used to store parts of the Leeds collection which are not currently on display, spanning tens of millions of years of world history.

The museum is an 80-minute drive or train ride from Blackburn and admission is free. It is open 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.