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SALT LAKE CITY — While the Utah Jazz faithful await the future of the team's direction this offseason, one Utah acquisition passed a physical and made his debut Friday.
Ja Raffe, a 1½-year-old male giraffe named after Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant, appeared at Utah's Hogle Zoo Friday.
Zoo officials announced last month they acquired the animal from the Memphis Zoo, adding that he would have a 30-day quarantine.
"Ja Raffe was given a clean bill of health, completed a standard adjustment quarantine, and is successfully getting to know the rest of the herd and our guests," Bob Cisneros, the associate director of Utah's Hogle Zoo animal care, said in a statement Friday. "Ja Raffe serves an important educational role as an ambassador for giraffes in the wild and showcases the importance of protecting his magnificent species."
The giraffe made headlines when he was born in November 2020, mainly because of his unique name. The Memphis Zoo wanted to honor Morant, who was coming off his NBA Rookie of the Year award earlier that year, officials explained in a Nov. 19, 2020, blog post.
The star himself seemed to enjoy it.
"'Ja'raffe was born a legend ‼️🦒," Morant tweeted the same day.
But zoos routinely move animals around for various reasons, as noted by Seneca Park Zoo. They noted that many trades are so the animal can join a new social group and begin breeding based on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which is the case for Ja Raffe.
Memphis Zoo "traded" the giraffe to Utah's Hogle Zoo last month, resulting in plenty of online jokes given the NBA offseason.
Hogle Zoo officials said Friday that Ja Raffe is still considered a juvenile but will be a companion to Hogle Zoo's female giraffes, Stephanie and Minka, at the zoo's African Savannah exhibit. They are three of 454 giraffes that can be found at 86 accredited zoos across the world.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums reports there are fewer than 80,000 giraffes in the wild, down 40% in the past 15 years.
The 10-foot tall young giraffe also figures to be the star of the Hogle Zoo exhibit that also features zebras, warthogs and ostrich.
No word if Ja Raffe is ready to replace Rudy Gobert as the Jazz center, though.
