HAVING already come off second best in a confrontation with a big game hunter, Fred the Polar Bear is now coming under attack from groups of curious children.

Although the stuffed bear was put behind barricades in the children's section at Darlington library, it has not stopped hundreds of youngsters from pointing their little fingers in his direction.

And the problem has got so bad that poor Fred has been taken off display and is now gathering dust in a council store room.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said discussions are now under way over Fred's future.

"It's true that Fred is in a store room and is looking a little worse for wear because of all the prods he gets from the children," he said.

"He is a very old bear and came into the council's possession earlier this century.

"His future is uncertain but at the moment we are checking he has all the bare essentials, before we begin looking for a new home for him."

Little is known about where Fred used to live before he was stuffed and brought to Darlington.

The expert view is that he originated from the North Pole.

Alan Suddes, former curator of the Darlington Museum in Tubwell Row, said: "Fred was part of a collection of big game trophies which were given to the town at the turn of the century.

"He is so well known because parents remember him from when they were young and bring their children to see him.

"The only problem is that stuffed animals are now a thing of the past and people would rather see them in the wild than something which has been killed in the name of sport."

The most likely next destination for Fred will be the Darlington Railway Museum in North Road - even though the connection between a 9ft polar bear and the birthplace of the railways will be lost on most people.

Until his future is decided, Fred will remain locked away in a dark room, a sad end for a once proud animal who used to roam the frozen wastelands before entertaining generations of Darlington people.