SD Zoo Wildlife Alliance to roll into Rose Parade with awe-inspiring elephant float

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- For the fifth straight year, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) will be participating in the Rose Parade on New Year's Day, and this year's float is sure to inspire camaraderie.

Working in partnership with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the theme for the 137th annual parade will be "The Magic in Teamwork," celebrating working together to create greater outcomes.

And what greater animal to honor than the architects of the earth—elephants. SDZWA's upcoming float, themed "Giant Strides Together," is inspired by African savanna elephants. The theme also coincides with the opening of Elephant Valley, the largest and most transformative project in SDZWA history. Elephant Valley is slated to open in early 2026 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido.

According to a press release from SDZWA, this year's float will showcase some familiar faces from the Safari Park's African savanna elephant herd. Intricate designs of the herd's matriarch, Swazi, and her daughter Qinisa will be featured on the rolling display.

Another mother-daughter duo will also be displayed on the float, African savanna elephants Umngani and Mkhaya, who became known worldwide after forming a protective "alert circle" with other herd members during an earthquake earlier this year.

The San Diego Zoo and San Diego Safari Park are also accredited botanical gardens that will use savanna grasses grown at the parks for the floats.