{"id":117004,"date":"2026-01-02T05:05:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/117004\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T05:05:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T05:05:23","slug":"san-diego-zoo-wins-prestigious-grand-marshal-award-at-rose-parade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/117004\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego Zoo wins prestigious Grand Marshal Award at Rose Parade"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5\/KUSI) \u2014 Despite rain at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year\u2019s Day, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\u2019s creativity and dedication shone through the conditions and received special recognition.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit organization\u2019s \u201cGiant Strides Together\u201d float, which pays homage to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park\u2019s upcoming Elephant Valley exhibit<\/a>, won the prestigious Grand Marshal Award, given to the most creative concept and float design.<\/p>\n

Adorned with intricate designs and featuring a few familiar faces from the Safari Park\u2019s African savanna elephant herd, the design transported parade attendees to the all-new Denny Sanford Elephant Valley, slated to open on March 5 at the Escondido park.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\u2019s \u201cGiant Strides Together\u201d float wins Grand Marshal Award at 137th Rose Parade.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\u2019s \u201cGiant Strides Together\u201d float wins Grand Marshal Award at 137th Rose Parade.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\u2019s \u201cGiant Strides Together\u201d float wins Grand Marshal Award at 137th Rose Parade.<\/p>\n

\"Construction<\/p>\n

Construction of the float underway.<\/p>\n

\"Flowers<\/p>\n

Flowers from Safari Park\u2019s Botanical Garden being added to \u201cGiant Strides Together\u201d float.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s float celebrates the majesty of elephants and the immersive experience guests visiting Denny Sanford Elephant Valley will soon get to experience,\u201d said Shawn Dixon, president and chief executive officer, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to receive this honor as we prepare to welcome the world to walk alongside these magnificent animals like never before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The float featured plants and flowers grown at the park\u2019s accredited botanical gardens, which included authentic savanna grasses.<\/p>\n

At the upcoming Elephant Valley<\/a>, the largest and most transformative project in the Alliance\u2019s 109-year history, guests will be immersed in the savaana, surrounded by elephants on multiple sides, creating the feeling of walking with the majestic herd. The exhibit aims to create greater empathy, understanding and appreciation towards elephants, who are also known as the \u201carchitects of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sneak peak at the upcoming \u201cElephant Valley\u201d at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, slated to open in March.<\/p>\n

\"African<\/p>\n

African savanna elephant at the Safari Park.<\/p>\n

\"African<\/p>\n

African savanna elephants at the Safari Park.<\/p>\n

The park\u2019s elephant mother-daughter duo, Umngani and Mkhaya, gained international fame in 2025 when the two, along with other members of the herd, formed a protective \u201calert circle\u201d during an earthquake.<\/p>\n

The Safari Park<\/a> in Escondido is home to over 3,100 animals and spans 1,800 acres. Elephant Valley will be included with Safari Park admission.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN DIEGO (FOX 5\/KUSI) \u2014 Despite rain at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena on New Year\u2019s Day,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[62222,39191,39189,62221,23066,39192,74,76,75,714,37716],"class_list":["post-117004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-african-savanna-elephant","tag-denny-sanford-elephant-valley","tag-elephant-valley","tag-giant-strides","tag-rose-parade","tag-safari-park","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-zoo","tag-san-diego-zoo-safari-park"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}