Yellowknife (Mar 28/03) - Seen from afar he looks ferocious, as if he could rise at any moment and attack. But up close he looks tired.

The polar bear rug at the legislative assembly needs repairs around his face, including his mouth and nose. - Kathleen Lippa/NNSL photo

His majestic roar is crumbling around the jaw, and his nose is rubbed raw from hundreds of pats from school children.

Now the polar bear on the floor of the house at the legislative assembly is getting a make-over.

This pleases Great Slave MLA Bill Braden.

"I look at him everyday when I'm in session," said Braden. "He's only about 10 feet away from me. So I probably see him more than any other MLA."

The medium-sized polar bear was shot by long-serving MLA and deputy speaker Ludy Pudluk years ago.

Even Tony Whitford, the speaker, isn't sure when Pudluk donated the bear to the GNWT. The bear rug was a gift following the mysterious disappearance of the legislature's first polar bear rug.

During the last week of session, Braden asked Whitford if the bear could be restored.

"Our bear is showing signs of use and fondness," Braden said in the house. "The hair on his poor snout is getting kind of threadbare."

Whitford agreed.

"Indeed it has seen an awful lot, and it's felt an awful lot, as well. It's an attraction to young people," Whitford adding, jokingly, "Indeed it is losing its hair, like some of the honourable members."

Robertson's Taxidermy in Yellowknife, who recently sized up the bear, found the bear in rough shape.

"It had a lot of wear and tear on it," said Les Robertson. "Looks like a lot of people have been petting it."

The cracks around the mouth come from dryness and age, Robertson said. "But that can be expoxied and repainted."

The bear's appearance can be saved in other ways, Roberston said. A new head could be put on the bear. But he doesn't want to do that in this case.

The claws can be re-sewn. A new patch of nose hair could even be applied on the yellowed space where the hair used to be. But Robertson conceded, with a laugh, "We can do certain things, but we can't make hair grow."

Robertson's have been put in charge of restoring the bear, said Whitford on Wednesday.

Whitford has told members when the session reconvenes in June they will see a "rejuvenated bear."