Related
Dallas, TX
What’s the story behind Dallas Zoo’s iconic giraffe statue? Curious Texas has the tale
Dallas-Fort Worth residents, new and old, are familiar with the Dallas Zoo’s iconic giraffe statue, which has been a staple in the community for many years.
But Dallas Morning News reader Katherine Homan asked Curious Texas: “What is the story behind the zoo’s giraffe?”
Let’s peel back the layers in the tale of the zoo’s beloved statue.
The statue has been standing for nearly three decades, said Dustin Crawford, assistant vice president of capital projects and facilities maintenance at the zoo. Construction on the bronzed beauty was announced in October of 1996, and it was installed on Jan. 22, 1997.
The statue was designed to stand 50-55 feet tall with a 2-foot tall tongue, but Crawford said Larry Powell, a columnist with The News, suggested it be even taller. So it was.
According to Crawford, the statue now stands 67.5 feet tall, including about a 40-inch tongue. That makes it taller than Big Tex, which stands at about 55 feet tall.
For 20 years, the Dallas Zoo’s giraffe statue took the crown as the tallest statue in Texas. Today, Crawford said there are two or three statues that stand taller than the giraffe.
The goal behind making the statue so tall was to make it a large visual marker, grabbing the attention of drivers as they passed the zoo. And mission accomplished, because the giraffe has served as a landmark and key part of the community for years.
“People from Dallas take a lot of pride in the statue,” Crawford said.
So what is it made of, and how did they get it in front of the zoo? It’s an easier process than you think.
Bob Cassilly, an artist and sculptor based in Missouri, designed and built the statue in his St. Louis studio. Crawford said the statue, made out of bonded bronze and plexiglass, was transported to Dallas in pieces on three flatbed trucks. Then it was assembled here. (No, it was not transported in one gigantic piece.)
And after nearly 30 years of standing, weathering many storms, the giraffe was due for a much-needed makeover. Last year, Dallas Zoo officials made the decision to refurbish the statue, as part of an investment into the zoo and its surrounding community. Work on it began in December and took about three weeks to complete.
The refurbishing gives it the shine you see now, Crawford said, and it should last a decade longer. Great for a photo opp.
Zoo officials say the best place to take a photo of the giraffe in its entirety is by the nearby McDonald’s, the elephant sculptures or at the Halperin Park overlook. People are also able to walk up and get close to the statue, but the photo won’t be that great. At best, you’ll get a hoof, they said.
“We are proud to have such an enduring and visible symbol of Dallas serve as an iconic welcome to Southern Dallas and the Dallas Zoo,” Dallas Zoo CEO Lisa New said. “For generations, the giraffe has been a familiar and beloved landmark for our community and a signal that visitors have arrived somewhere special.”
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
-
New York47 minutes agoInside the NYC Power Stations That Keep Trains Moving — or Bring Them to a Halt
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoDetroit Pistons already facing must-win Game 2 vs Orlando Magic
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoGiants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoNew video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
-
Miami, FL2 hours ago
Ty Simpson considered staying in college for $6.5 million offer from Miami
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoTools for Your To Do List with Spot and Gemini Robotics | Boston Dynamics
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoHere, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026
