17 years ago, a museum Briton was rocked by an extraordinary event that left the community stunned. One Doberman named Barney became the protagonist by destroying a rare collection of teddy bears, valued at US$ 900,000 (almost R$5 million).
The incident, which took place at the Wookey Hole Caves museum in Somerset, England, still raises questions about the motivation behind this surprising act.
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On the night of Tuesday, August 1, 2006, everything seemed to be going smoothly for Barney and his co-worker, Greg West, who acted as night security guards at the museum.
Barney was considered a “good boy” by everyone and had followed the same ritual for six years. However, a special teddy bear exhibit completely changed the course of history.
In a moment of uncontrolled fury, Barney destroyed approximately 100 teddy bears, including one that belonged to the iconic singer Elvis Presley, the King of Rock.
What happened shocked everyone, leaving the team and teddy bear lovers perplexed. To this day, the motivation behind this destructive attack is a mystery, fueling theories and speculation about what caused the Doberman to act in this way.
Dog went beyond what people imagined
In just 10 minutes, watchdog Barney managed to wreak unprecedented havoc.
Elvis Presley's former bear now belonged to Benjamin Slade, a collector passionate about everything involving the King of Rock. Acquired at an exclusive Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis, it was a unique and extremely valuable piece.
Unfortunately, the exposure only lasted 10 minutes before Barney, the untamed Doberman, managed to break free and unleash his destructive fury.
The animal chewed up and devastated not only the bear with ties to Elvis, but also other treasured items, such as a bear. red produced in 1910 by the renowned Farnell brand and a Bobby Bruin manufactured by the renowned company Merrythought in 1936.
The damage done by Barney was irreversible, leaving museum curators and collectors devastated.
Barney, controversial watchdog, fired from museum amid destruction
(Image: Playback/Internet)
Status of one of the stuffed animals destroyed by Barney. (Image: playback / internet)
Barney was relieved of his duties. Daniel Medley, responsible for the security of the place, asked the security company not to send the Doberman anymore. After the incident, a new rule prohibited dogs from visiting the museum.
As stated earlier, the motivation behind Barney's behavior is still up for debate to this day. Some even believe that the canine “criminal” acted to rid mankind of “cursed playthings”.
Despite all the confusion, the history starring Barney has already become an intriguing anecdote in the history of British museums. It was left to the site to recover from the damage and move on without the watchdog.
