San Diego Wildlife Alliance Puts Final Touches On Rose Parade Float

SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is completing its float construction for the 134th New Year's Day Rose Parade. The float is designed to honor the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s 50th anniversary by showcasing some of the beloved animals at the park and the famed "safari" truck.

The 2023 float theme “Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation,” depicts rhinos, giraffes and the Safari Park’s Wildlife Safari truck experience in hopes of bringing to life the park’s ability to connect guests with wildlife and create life-changing moments, according to float designer John Ramirez.

Ramirez spoke about the ideas behind his design, which has since been handed off to 3D modelers, artists, welders and florists to bring it to life for the Rose Parade.

"It's the next best thing to being on safari as it's right in our own backyard," he said, adding that he hopes everyone who sees the float to be inspired by its conservation message.

The “Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation” float features two of the park's resident white rhinos, an 11-month-old giraffe, and two African-crowned cranes.

The alliance is an international conservation organization that describes itself as having “two front doors” including both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, both of which are honored by the float. Since its opening in 1972, the Safari Park has played a huge role in the conservation of species ranging from condors and hornbills to rhinos and elephants.

The backstory behind the animals on the float shows the importance of conservation happening within the zoo and park. The largest animals on the float are white rhinos, baby Neville and his mother Livia, who bring hope to the cutting-edge efforts to save the distantly related northern white rhino, according to the alliance.

"With only two northern white rhinos left on Earth, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance combines groundbreaking conservation science with more than a century of world-class wildlife expertise to save the species," a spokesperson for the alliance said. "Neville is the third rhino born as part of this revolutionary program at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park—joining Edward and Future, who also made history as the first southern white rhinos born through artificial insemination in North America."

Three giraffes also appear on the float — parents and their baby 11-month-old giraffe, Msituni (pronounced see tune neee). Msituni was born unable to walk at the Safari Park, and is represented by standing tall on the float. According to the alliance, the baby giraffe would have died in the wild. It underwent months of care and several pairs of custom giraffe-sized orthotic leg braces, to support her while she gained the necessary strength to walk. Now, she runs along the savannas, they said.

Also on the float, a pair of African-crowned cranes look on, near the truck that will hold the float's honored guests.

The float riders will be wildlife care specialists, veterinarians and conservation scientists from the Safari Park who have dedicated their lives to caring for Neville, Msituni and countless other species in San Diego and around the globe, a spokesperson for the alliance said.

Safari Park’s Executive Director, Lisa Peterson will also appear on the float and be joined by expert wildlife guides from the Safari Park.

Four young children who may aspire to be the next generation of conservationists will also join the group, representing how a moment at the Safari Park can change a lifetime, they said.

The planned floral array on the float will illustrate that both the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and San Diego Zoo are accredited botanical gardens that feature over 2 million plants—and serve as a reminder of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s dedication to plant conservation through its many efforts, including the Wildlife Biodiversity Bank, according to officials.

From now until January 1, volunteers will adorn the float with seeds and plant materials, and ultimately flowers, according to Ramirez. "Volunteers will help to finish the decoration piece by piece, seed by seed, petal by petal until it's fully covered."