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If you were looking for the ultimate NFL offseason story, I present to you, a rhino naming! This Friday, the San Francisco Zoo is naming a black rhino after 49ers guard Alex Boone, simply calling the rhino "Boone".
The naming comes as part of a bigger program involving Boone (the guard, not the rhino). Boone and his family visited the Zoo in 2012 and apparently became fascinated with a four-year old black rhino the zoo had acquired. Boone offered his services to the Zoo, and eventually a collaboration was born. The Zoo created the Alex Boone Animal Education Project to bring local at-risk youth to the zoo. In response to Boone's assistance, the Zoo will name the black rhino after him.
If you're in the Bay Area, at 3:00 p.m., Zoo visitors are going to be able to check out the black rhino exhibit and see Boone the right guard feed Boone the black rhino. Boone had a few comments about the project:
"There are very few black rhinos left on this planet, so to have one named after me is truly an honor," said 49ers guard Alex Boone. "It's awesome to share a close connection with a black rhino, but it's even better that we can raise awareness for these endangered species through the Alex Boone Animal Education Project."
It's amusing, but it's also a cool way for Boone to use his celebrity to help educate people. Here's a picture Boone with Boone (courtesy of @49ers on Twitter):