East Village mural honors recently deceased San Diego Zoo animals

Aug 24, 2025 - 11:00

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Ground Floor Murals, a local street art duo, unveiled a new mural in East Village this Saturday. Spray painted onto a brick wall adjacent to Ace Uniforms, the piece pays homage to three cherished San Diego Zoo animals who died last week.

In the span of five heartbreaking days, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) announced the deaths of Kalluk the polar bear, Nicky the giraffe and Maka the gorilla.

Kalluk, a 24-year-old polar bear, greatly exceeded the typical 15 to 18 year life expectancy of wild polar bears and had recently started showing signs of age-related illness. Brought to the San Diego Zoo with his siblings after being orphaned as cubs in 2001, he contributed to research on polar bear behavior and the impact of climate change on the species.

*East Village mural honors recently deceased San Diego Zoo animal 24-year-old polar bear Kalluk (PHOTO: Muralist Paul Jimenez, Ground Floor Murals)*

*Kalluk the polar bear. (Credit: San Diego Zoo)*

Nicky, a 28-year-old giraffe, was the matriarch of the San Diego Zoo’s giraffe herd, raising five calves in her lifetime and serving as an ambassador for her species. As the oldest Masai Giraffe in North America, she had been showing signs of her advanced age in the week leading up to her passing.

*East Village mural honors recently deceased San Diego Zoo animal Nicky, a 28-year-old giraffe (PHOTO: Muralist Paul Jimenez, Ground Floor Murals)*

*Nicky, a giraffe at the San Diego Zoo, died at the age of 28. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)*

Maka, a 30-year-old gorilla, was diagnosed with chromosomal abnormalities at age five, but thanks to dedicated care from his wildlife health and care teams, he exceeded expectations. He helped numerous guests better understand the intelligence and gentleness of western lowland gorillas before dying from a cardiac event.

*East Village mural honors recently deceased San Diego Zoo animal 30-year-old Western lowland gorilla Maka (PHOTO: Muralist Paul Jimenez, Ground Floor Murals)*

*The San Diego Zoo was hit with another tough loss Tuesday, announcing the death of a 30-year-old Western lowland gorilla named Maka.*

All of these creatures held a special place in the hearts of San Diegans and zoo-bound tourists alike. With their impact on the community, the pair behind Ground Floor Murals “felt compelled to paint this.”

On their website, painters Signe Ditona and Paul Jimenez explain that community is important to their work. Both born and raised in San Diego, Jimenez and Ditona’s work often reflects local icons. Their portraits of Padres players like Tony Gwynn, Joe Musgrove, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado can be found in an array of San Diego neighborhoods.

*East Village mural honors recently deceased San Diego Zoo animals (PHOTO: Muralist Paul Jimenez, Ground Floor Murals)*

“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 duo’s webpage states.

Passersby can reflect on the animals’ legacies in their community at the corner of Market and 17th Street. For more information on Grand Floor Murals’ work, visit their website or Instagram.