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A STUFFED badger has been given a new lease of life as the inspiration for a character in a major Hollywood blockbuster.

Barry the badger, who died in Accrington four years ago, became the model for graphic designers putting the final touches to the character of Trufflehunter in Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which is released next month.

Barry's posthumous rise to stardom began four-years-ago when he was discovered by the side of the A56, having been run over and killed.

A member of Lancashire Badger Group went to view the dead badger and realised that his body was still in very good condition.

Subsequently taken to a taxidermist and stuffed, Barry has been used as part of the group's promotional talks at shows during the summer and also trips to schools.

But he got his shot at fame at the start of last year when London company, Framestore-CFC, said it was on the look-out for an animal on which to model Trufflehunter the badger.

Paul Shoreman, of Cattle Street, Great Harwood, and chairman of the Lancashire group, said: "Framestore-CFC contacted the Badger Trust, which is the umbrella organisation that covers us, asking for a badger to use as a model.

"We were the first group to respond and they asked us to send him down.

"Their offices are in central London and we didn't want to send him by post so they sent a car up and I met two of their people at Charnock Richard services.

"They had him for several months. We hope that Barry's film star role will help us raise awareness of the group's work and help us in the fight to prevent the persecution of this wonderful animal in the wild."

Martin Parker, of Framestore-CFC, said animators often liked to have a real example of the animal they were creating.

He said: "The animators studied the badger in order to understand its muscularity and how it would move. It's so when they bring the character to life it is believable."

Framestore-CFC has worked on all the Harry Potter films, the latest Bond movies and in the latest Narnia film Trufflehunter is voiced by Scottish actor Ken Stott, who has appeared in films such as Shallow Grave and Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch.

8:05pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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