Drivers in Metro Detroit couldn’t consider their eyes once they noticed a full-size giraffe at the back of a pickup truck.
Social media erupted with pictures and movies of the weird sight, with many questioning whether or not it was actual or simply an elaborate hoax.
The giraffe was fully actual—however not in the way in which most individuals feared.
The animal was not alive however as a substitute, a preserved specimen being transported by taxidermist and large recreation hunter Darren Wehner.
“My job is to protect them so you possibly can recognize them ceaselessly,” Wehner defined. “Some individuals might discover it unusual or completely different, however to me, it’s artwork.”
The giraffe died naturally of previous age at a zoo earlier than being despatched to Wehner’s St. Clair Flats Taxidermy for preservation.
Wehner, who has safari partnerships in South Africa, was commissioned to arrange the animal for show in a museum.
He defined that after he receives the animal, the method isn’t any completely different than working with leather-based.
“It’s simply leather-based with hair on it,” he stated.
The sight of a giraffe’s neck protruding of the mattress of a Ford pickup truck was sufficient to cease site visitors and spark 1000’s of reactions on-line.
Some made jokes about Geoffrey the Giraffe from Toys ‘R’ Us, whereas others expressed concern for the animal’s welfare.
Wehner, who additionally promotes “inexperienced hunts”—utilizing tranquilizer darts as a substitute of bullets—insists that his work is about preservation, not hurt.
“We love animals. I do know it’s a counter-intuitive argument, however I promise you, we love animals.”
Wehner’s property in Ira, Michigan, is residence to extra than simply mounted wildlife.
Amongst his dwell animals is a 9-month-old kangaroo named Atlas, who lives on the farm as a part of the group.
Whereas Wehner’s work could also be controversial to some, he sees it as a strategy to honor and protect the great thing about wildlife.
And as for the giraffe? Quickly, it is going to dwell on ceaselessly in a museum, the place guests can recognize its majesty up shut—with no need to do a double-take in site visitors.
