Visitors flock to Wigan fishery after arrival of life-sized animatronic elephant

For a life-sized animatronic elephant can now be found at Fir Tree Fishery in Appley Bridge.

It is the latest surprising addition by owner Derrick Taylor, who already has a huge bear, tiger and even a giant replica of the famous movie alien Predator.

Mr Taylor was delighted when the elephant arrived a couple of weeks ago.

He said: “It was on a film set, but I don’t know which one it was.

“It roars and moves its head and breathes and it makes terrible noises. It’s massive - it’s a full-size elephant.

“It’s made from a rubber substance, it’s not resin, it’s a proper job. When it breathes, its stomach moves in and out, it’s a bit weird.”

As word about the elephant has spread, people living nearby have been asking to see it for themselves.

Mr Taylor said: “There’s been a massive response. The phone has never stopped ringing with people asking if they can come to have their picture taken with it.”

He is pleased that he bought the elephant and says it is helping to make people smile during the pandemic.

“It was a bit of fun and a one-off opportunity to buy something like this,” he said.

Mr Taylor started bringing weird and wonderful creations to the fishery to help anglers find their way around, for example they could head to a cabin next to a dinosaur.

It started when he got a full-size Father Christmas to promote that Christmas trees were being sold on the site.

And his interest quickly developed from there.

Mr Taylor said: “I put the Father Christmas at the side of one of the heated huts and we called it the Christmas Cabin. Then came the Bear Pit with the 9ft bear. Then was Dino’s Den with the big head of a dinosaur.”

He continued to buy different creatures, adding gorillas, a tiger and an alligator.

Mr Taylor even has a mammoth statue of Predator based next to the predator lake, which was initially used in a Las Vegas hotel to promote the film when it was released.

He says he likes the statues as he is “mechanically minded” but also likes “buying stupid things”.

Mr Taylor has plans to keep adding to the collection and is already looking for the next creature to join the fishery.

“I wouldn’t mind an animated T-rex, a full -size one,” he said.

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