Visitors to Balboa Park got a monumental surprise this week when the San Diego Zoo unveiled a more than 27-foot-tall bronze lion at the zoo’s entrance. Crowds cheered and “roared” as zoo officials welcomed the newly created statue that was designed in honour of Rex, the lion that inspired the creation of the zoo in 1916.

San Diego City Council member Chris Ward, District 3, was on hand to help welcome Rex to the Balboa Park landscape. Zoo officials hope the statue will add to the tradition of amazing public art in Balboa Park and around San Diego.

“Rex is a gift to the people of San Diego, and an iconic image for the world to see,” said Schwartz. “We all know it started with a roar, but this statue also shows that the roar has never stopped. It’s in the hearts and minds of all of us who share a passion for wildlife.”