
Elephants borrowed from the Central Park Zoo march in the very first Macy's Parade in 1924. (Photo: Macy's)
The Central Park Zoo is a 6.5-acre zoo located in Central Park in New York City. It opened as a menagerie in 1864, and was the first public zoo to open in the state of New York. The Zoo opened its current facility on December 2, 1934 as part of a revitalization program of city parks, playgrounds and zoos initiated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Central Park Zoo temporarily closed in 1983 as it went under a five-year long, $35 million renovation that replaced the cages with natural environments for the animals. It reopened on August 8, 1988. Since then, the zoo's mission has been to "engage future generations of conservationists and create wildlife champions."[1]
History with the Macy's Parade[]
In 1924, animals from the Central Park Zoo were borrowed for the very first inaugural Macy's Christmas Parade, joining the procession's bands, clowns, and costumed entertainers. The animals featured in the procession included elephants, tigers, bears, camels, and donkeys.
Following the third annual parade in 1926, the decision was made to no longer have the animals participate in the Parade for several reasons—the six-mile route meant the animals became unruly towards the end, the dense crowds meant few could see the animals, and most notably the roars, growls, and loud noises scared the children in attendance.[2]
A temporary solution in 1927 provided marchers with over-sized paper-maché animal masks,[3] however their permanent replacement came during the 1928 Parade with the introduction of the iconic giant helium balloons.