A herd of elephants is making a statement in New York City – here’s the wild story why.
New York City isn’t exactly known for its wildlife, but right now, it’s playing host to one of the most extraordinary gatherings of the year: a herd of elephants in The Great Elephant Migration. This unique traveling public art installation has brought 100 life-size elephant sculptures to the Meatpacking District, turning NYC’s urban streets into an unexpected savanna.
This project, running until October 20, 2024, aims to raise awareness and funds for wildlife conservation, promoting the idea of coexistence between humans and wildlife.
These life-sized elephants were handcrafted by over 200 Indigenous artisans from India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The artisans, members of the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan, and Soliga communities, spent five years crafting the herd with incredible detail and care, drawing from their own experiences and deep generational knowledge of wildlife.
Why Do Elephants Migrate?
As with other animals, migration, or moving sometimes hundreds of miles in a season, is an adaptive response to environmental cues, such as rainfall or drought, and the availability of food and habitat.
These sculptures are even more fascinating because they’re made from lantana camara, a fast-growing, invasive weed threatening natural elephant habitats in India and Sri Lanka—pushing elephants to migrate further to find food. Lantana overtakes the native vegetation in the natural grazing areas, forcing elephants to seek new feeding grounds, which leads to human-wildlife conflict as they wander into areas now settled by people.
Additionally, lantana is toxic to elephants when ingested. It contains compounds called triterpenoids, which can cause liver damage and gastrointestinal distress, leading to symptoms such as weakness, loss of appetite, and even death if consumed in large quantities. This makes it especially dangerous for elephants, who may accidentally ingest it while foraging.
By using lantana to create these majestic elephants, the artists are actively helping to restore forests while raising awareness of the dangers of this invasive plant, ensuring elephants and other animals can roam freely in their natural environments once again.
Each Elephant is Unique
The sculptures are based on real elephants from the Nilgiri Hills in India, and the artists have masterfully transformed the lantana into intricate sculptures that showcase each elephant’s unique personality and details. Two African elephants have joined this largely Asian elephant herd – Edie and Chaimu, both orphans rescued and rewilded by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. Their inclusion highlights the importance of protecting not only Asian but also African elephants. Elephants have been known to traverse hundreds of miles in search of food and water and can live in diverse ecosystems — anything from a dry savannah to a lush rainforest—yet still elephant populations in Asia and Africa have been seeing a steady decline.
Each elephant sculpture in this stunning installation is a statement about the power of coexistence. As part of the global fundraising effort, the exhibit aims to show how human populations can share space with wildlife, an increasingly urgent message in today’s rapidly changing world.
Elephants on the Move: The Journey Continues
The Great Elephant Migration began in Newport, Rhode Island, before making its way to New York, where the elephants will remain until October 20, 2024. From there, the herd will “migrate” south to Miami, then move on to Browning, Montana, before finally reaching Los Angeles in July 2025.
Walking among these life-size sculptures is a truly awe-inspiring experience. You can see how massive each elephant is and how much space they require. If you find yourself in New York City this fall, don’t miss the chance to witness this incredible intersection of art, conservation, and storytelling. The main installation will stretch from Gansevoort Plaza on Ninth Avenue up to West 15th Street, with elephants sprinkled all over the meatpacking neighborhood.
Want to Take an Elephant Home?
If you’re truly inspired, you can even purchase one of these life-sized sculptures. Each sale directly supports wildlife conservation efforts, with prices starting at $8,000 for a baby elephant and going up to $22,000 for an adult male with tusks. It’s a chance to bring a piece of this monumental exhibit into your own space while contributing to a cause that’s making a real difference. The project raises funds for 22 conservation organizations that focus on preserving various wildlife species, including elephants. Each elephant in the exhibit is twinned with a conservation NGO, benefiting from the proceeds of the sculpture sales to further their vital work in protecting wildlife and fostering coexistence.
Learn More:
The Great Elephant Migration supports several conservation NGOs dedicated to promoting human-wildlife coexistence and conservation, particularly focusing on indigenous-led initiatives. For the complete list of all 22 organizations benefiting from this project, you can visit the Great Elephant Migration’s official NGO partners page at The Great Elephant Migration – NGO Partners
