Viral photos show giraffe being transported in back of pickup truck

March 5 (UPI) -- Photos of a giraffe traveling in the bed of a pickup truck near Detroit went viral on social media, and the animal turned out to be quite real -- albeit deceased.

Nathan Schemansky posted photos taken by a friend to Facebook showing what appeared to be a giraffe being transported in the bed of a pickup truck in Macomb County.

The photos went viral after being shared by the Macomb County Scanner page.

The driver of the truck was later identified as Darren Wehner, who works at St. Clair Flats Taxidermy.

Wehner, a professional taxidermist and occasional big game hunter, said the giraffe had died naturally of old age at a zoo and he had been hired to preserve the animal for display at a museum.

"My job is to preserve them so you can appreciate them forever. Some people may find it strange or different, but to me, it's art," he told Fox 2 Detroit.

He said he was about 60 hours into the process of preserving the giraffe when the need arose to transport his work to a second location.

"When we receive it, it's no different than leather. It's just leather with hair on it," he said.