Renowned muralists Ground Floor Murals have unveiled a new piece in San Diego’s East Village, honoring three beloved animals from the San Diego Zoo who passed away last week.
Painted on a brick wall behind the Top Tier Gas station at 1606 Market Street, the mural depicts Kalluk the polar bear, Nicki the giraffe, and Maka the gorilla. Their deaths, which came just days apart, have left the community in mourning.
Each portrait carries the weight of their legacies: Kalluk, a 24-year-old polar bear, outlived the average lifespan of his species and played an important role in research.
Nicki, a 28-year-old Masai giraffe, was the oldest of her kind in North America and matriarch of her herd, raising five calves.
Maka, a 30-year-old western lowland gorilla born at the zoo, lived with chromosomal abnormalities but remained a steady, calming figure in her group. Her sudden passing compounded what has been one of the zoo’s most difficult weeks in recent memory.
A Tribute from the San Diego Community
The mural is the work of Signe Ditona and Paul Jiménez, the duo behind Ground Floor Murals, best known for their portraits of Padres legends Tony Gwynn and Joe Musgrove. With this tribute, they once again capture the spirit of the community.
