NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The New York Public Library lions have officially been vaccinated.
On Friday, NYPL posted a photo to Twitter, showing one of the iconic lions – Patience and Fortitude – wearing a 14-by-4.6-inch, red-colored "bandage" on its arm.
“We’re roaring about vaccines from the steps of Fifth Avenue! Vaccines are the best and *mane* way New Yorkers can keep each other safe,” the library wrote.
The library is hopeful that placing the bandages on the 110-year-old marble lions – who stand guard outside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue – will encourage more New Yorkers to get the shot.
“Considering their age, our lions were eligible for the COVID vaccine early on, so they’re now likely getting their boosters,” said NYPL Chief Operating Officer Iris Weinshall. “Still, we thought now was a good time to roar about vaccines from the steps of Fifth Avenue, especially to help highlight the CDC’s recent approval of the vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11. We support the City’s efforts to get all New Yorkers vaccinated, as it’s the best and mane way to keep each other safe.”
This isn’t the first time that Patience and Fortitude have supported public safety efforts. Last year, the two also donned lion-sized face masks to encourage others to do the same.
“Patience and Fortitude are the perfect symbols for the strengths our city and our nation need now even more,” said NYPL President Anthony Marx said in 2020. “Like them, New Yorkers are strong and resilient and can weather any storm.”
The lions also wear wreaths every December, previously wore Mets and Yankees baseball caps during the 2000 Subway Series and wore top hats to celebrate the New York City library system’s centennial in 1995.
Everything placed on the marble lions is made with non-eroding material to ensure it will not damage the icons.
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