Today, the ch'ilin portrayed in traditional art may seem to differ quite a bit from the giraffes transferred to the new Taipei zoo. But it's interesting to note that the Japanese even today call the giraffe a kirin, using the same characters the Chinese pronounce ch'ilin.
時至今日，民間美術造型中的麒麟瑞獸，與動物園搬家的長頸鹿仍有相當差別，有趣的是，日本人至今仍稱呼長頸鹿為麒麟哩。