In a crowd, giraffes are usually noticeable.
When drivers noticed the exotic animal’s long neck oddly leaned over in the vehicle’s bed, they became worried when a Michigan taxidermist was driving a stuffed giraffe in his pick-up truck on a busy road.
Images of the animal went viral, raising concerns. Many people questioned whether the species was real, mocking anyone who would hunt one and making jokes that the Toys-R-Us mascot was actually an African hoofed mammal.
A driver spotted the exotic creature in the bed of the Ford pickup truck.
“My buddy was on his way home from work and saw what appears to be a real deceased giraffe in the bed of someone’s truck,” the initial poster wrote on Facebook on Feb. 27.
“Does anyone know anything about this? Is it even real lol.”
The public clamor resulted in Darren Wehner, a taxidermist and big game hunter, setting the record straight.
Wehner, who works at St. Clair Flats Taxidermy, said he was commissioned by an unnamed museum to preserve and mount the giraffe, which died naturally of old age at a zoo,.
He said he was 60 hours into the project when he was seen cruising with the man-made replica in Macomb County.
“My job is to preserve them so you can appreciate them forever,” Wehner told the outlet.
“Some people may find it strange or different, but to me, it’s art. When we receive it, it’s no different than leather. It’s just leather with hair on it.”
Dozens of Calvin Klein Jeans Are Discounted on Amazon Right Now