Elephants on the March

NDZ/STAR MAX/IPX VIA AP IMAGES

ART ON PARADE: The elephant sculptures were on view in New York City from September to October in 2024.

This year, a herd of 100 elephants will be on the move across the U.S. But these are no ordinary elephants: They’re life-size sculptures! The pieces are part of a touring exhibition called the Great Elephant Migration. Each one is a replica of a real elephant living in India.

A community of 200 Indian artists created the sculptures from dried Lantana camara. This invasive weed has been overtaking elephant habitat in India and pushing the animals into urban areas. Removing L. camara gives elephants more space to roam. The exhibition aims to show how people and wildlife can peacefully coexist.

SEBASTIAN MEYER, COURTESY ELEPHANT FAMILY USA AND NEWPORT RESTORATION FOUNDATION.

CROSS-COUNTRY MIGRATION: The sculptures travel to Rhode Island, their first U.S. destination.

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