A widow was left stunned after she raked in more than £11,000 at auction after finding her late husband's secret taxidermy collection.
Julie Gittoes, 62, found Kevin's collection of stuffed antique animals squirrelled away in the attic, with it going back 162 years.
She had no idea Kevin owned the collection until she cleared out the loft following his premature death from cancer aged 69.
Builders alerted Julie to the large number of boxes that contained the extraordinary Victorian and Edwardian collection, BirminghamLivereports.
Hansons Auctioneers have described the finds as one of the "most unusual private collections" that had ever gone under the hammer.
Among the set found at her Worcestershire home was a lion’s head with real teeth from the 1920s, a Conger eel, otter, white rabbit, badger, fox, plains zebra and hartebeest - a type of African antelope.
There was also a large glass display case featuring a puppy dog, a pair of red squirrels and a green woodpecker dating back to the 1860s.
The top-selling item was an Edwardian cased full mount fox which sold for £850 while a full mount otter went for £520.
A 20th-century baboon shoulder mount fetched £640 and the African lion head mount on shield sold for £541.
There was also a multitude of fish and birds including an albino blackbird, moorhens, herons, lapwing, curlew, Long-Eared owls, pike and perch.
It turned out Kevin had been collecting the antiques for years but Julie only found out after he died in August 2021.
Julie, who has a daughter Esther with Kevin, discovered 12 cased animals hidden in the loft while the garage housed 57 other examples.
She says she plans to donate some of the money from the auction to charity Sarcoma UK to honour Kevin, who died from that form of cancer.
Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons, said: “I am delighted Hansons achieved a strong result for this collection, particularly as I know Julie plans to make a donation to charity Sarcoma UK to honour Kevin.
"Kevin’s collection was quite extraordinary with examples dating back to the 1860s.
"Some people may find it a little bizarre but you have to put taxidermy into its historical context.
"In Edwardian and Victorian times people had a deep fascination with natural history, just as we do today.
"However, they couldn’t switch on the TV to watch nature programmes or tune into the latest series from Sir David Attenborough.
“Consequently, taxidermy became popular in the 19th century, particularly among the middle and upper classes who used it for educational purposes. It was regarded as an art form.
"Some of the species had died naturally while others would have been trapped or shot.
"But you must remember that death was part of life in Victorian times. In 1850 people rarely lived much beyond 40.
"We’re deeply aware of the sensitivity around taxidermy and took extreme care to catalogue this collection carefully respecting the complex regulations surrounding the sale of animal-related items.
"Kevin’s interest in it fascinated him for decades and led him to acquire one of the most unusual private collections I have ever come across."
Julie previously said of her husband's collection: “I was never allowed into the loft but, after I lost Kevin, I needed some work done in the attic.
"The workman said to me, ‘Did you know there are a lot of boxes up there?’ I found 12 pieces of taxidermy I had no idea about.
"I’m amazed Kevin managed to squirrel them away without me knowing. I think he felt a bit guilty about buying so many pieces so he didn’t tell me.”
Kevin, who worked as an engineering manager for the Mirror Group, collected taxidermy for more than 30 years.
But in retirement, he got a part-time job at an auction house – something he loved, according to Julie, and the perfect place to source taxidermy.
She said: “When I met Kevin 32 years ago, he had a couple of pieces. Though it was never my thing I never stopped him displaying them in the house. I just limited it a bit. I never begrudged him doing it.
"Our 1926 bungalow has a large hall so they were mainly displayed there. We had some in the lounge, too, including a badger which I’m keeping. He’s part of the family now. Kevin had him when I met him.
“He was very proud of his collection. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to sell it at auction. I want to pay tribute to Kevin and share something that was really important to him.
“I know some people think taxidermy is a bit strange but Kevin was fascinated by it. He always loved country pursuits. I used to feel a little bit embarrassed when people went into the hall but most people were fascinated by the collection, even the medics who came to look after Kevin when he was ill.
"It makes me smile now to think of Kevin smuggling those pieces into the loft. I found out his son, James, helped him lift them in. The time feels right to part with them now."
