Balto

Balto is the Bronze sculpture of Siberian Husky Sled Dog named Balto. It is located in the South-Eastern part of the Central Park, on the East Drive and 67th street level.It stands on a small rock with sled harness on his back, mouth open, tongue out and eyes looking towards the horizon, probably depicting Balto's struggle during historic 1925 serum run. In 1925 a diphtheria epidemic emerged in Nome, a city located on the Alaskan west coast. The only way to stop the epidemic was diphtheria antitoxin which was available in the city of Anchorage. Attempt to transport the anti-toxin by airplane failed. So it was decided to transport it by train, which alos stopped in the city of Nenana, still 667 miles away. The only option was to use sled dogs. The weather conditions were sever with temperatures as low as −23 °F and blizzards, making the visibility very poor. Balto's sled team was ahead of others and he was the leading dog. Dur to poor visibility the short time span the team had to rely only on Balto's instincts who made no mistake and delivered the anti-toxin to Nome in record 5 days and seven hours saving hundreds of lives. After the incident Balto became a hero and his statue was erected in central park in 1925.

Nearby attractions include Dene towards its north and children's Zoo on its south