In a heartfelt tribute to the recently lost animals of the San Diego Zoo, local muralist Paul Jimenez and his partner Signe Ditona, under the moniker 'Ground Floor Murals,' have painted a mural in East Village, San Diego. Near the corner of Market Avenue and 17th Street, the mural stands as a visual eulogy, honoring the lives of Kalluk the polar bear, Nicky the giraffe, and 'Maka' the western lowland gorilla, who all died last week, leaving a palpable void in the community.
The creative pair worked through last Friday night to complete the piece. According to an NBC 7 report, Jimenez was compelled to create the mural to pay his respects to the animals, as the zoo has been a seminal part of his San Diego experience. According to Jimenez, zookeepers have thanked him for preserving the legacy of these beloved animals. The mural features Kalluk on the left, who lived beyond the average wild polar bear's lifespan despite his age-related illness. Nicky is in the center, previously the matriarch of the zoo's giraffe herd and the oldest of her kind in North America. On the right is Maka, who, despite a chromosomal abnormality, surpassed expectations with the dedicated care from the zoo's staff.
The local reaction has been one of appreciation for Ground Floor Murals' efforts to capture the essence of the zoo animals. On Fox 5 San Diego, it is detailed that each animal profoundly impacted both San Diegans and tourists, with this fresh mural embodying that sentiment precisely. The painters, born and raised in San Diego, express on their website how community-centric their work is, emphasizing contributions that resonate locally. "Our public pieces are our cooperation to the neighborhoods generous enough to welcome us and provide for us a space to carry out our craft," the pair states on their webpage.
Those looking to view or reflect upon the mural, and in turn the lives of these zoo animals, can find the artwork displayed on a brick adjacent to Ace Uniforms. The story behind the animals and their loss is poignant, with each of them having outlived difficulties and brought joy and awareness to countless individuals. According to a Ground Floor Murals Instagram post, painting this mural was a compelling endeavor felt deeply by both artists as they sprinkled color and life into the night, encapsulating a tangible memory of Kalluk, Nicky, and Maka.
