HARI Bodi has seen some bizarre things during his time with the delivery business, but a baby giraffe skull ranks among the most weird.

The unusual item passed through the office of Oxford company Pack and Send on its way to Ireland.

The firm, whose local branch is in Botley Road, has been sending quirky deliveries around the world since 2011 – including taxidermied butterflies, valuable paintings, and samples of Oxfordshire ice creams (at the request of a Sheik in Dubai).

A late 19th century antique bear, a commemorative rowing oar and 200 Mars bars are among some of the other items that have passed through the company’s hands.

But Mr Bodi, the owner and manager of the Oxford store, did not seem surprised that somebody had wanted to spend £400 on getting the skull sent to them for a household attraction.

He said: “In the beginning that sort of thing was strange, but now we’ve got used to it.

“We get such weird collectors’ items, its hard to go into detail [because of customer privacy]. If you take the huge bear, for example, who would that in their home!?”

Mr Bodi continued: “The giraffe skull is precisely our business model. It was sent to County Down in Northern Ireland

“The skull was big but luckily it was a baby giraffe. The gentleman who bought it wanted it for ‘personal use’.

“He is basically having it as an attraction for people at his home... he has a couple of kids.”

The item was moved in a custom-made plywood box but the cost was not excessively expensive in the context of other sales with the company, who have processed orders from £30 to £15,000.

A successful franchise – particularly in Australia – the Pack and Send business’s first physical store in the county opened in Oxford seven years ago and is doing well.

The model is relatively simple: the company picks up items – generally fragile ones - and transports them safely around the world.

Mr Bodi, 38 and from Oxford, explained: “We pick it up from the seller, take it back to our office and pack it. Most of the time we use air freight, sometimes sea freight. It depends what the item is, what the customer wants and how fragile it is.

“We get all sorts, even Formula 1 cars and sports cars.”

He said the company could also help transport family heirlooms, particularly those that need to be sent around the world after a death in the family. But much of the business comes from antiques or collectable items sold at auction.

Mr Bodi continued: “We cover all of Oxfordshire at the moment but are waiting to see if we can open another store.

"But we will have to wait until Brexit before opening another unit.”