Image of a large group of elephants in the wild

Elephant sculptures help raise awareness in Newport, Rhode Island. The sculptures are made from an invasive shrub that threatens the Indian elephants’ habitat.

Corey Favino/Courtesy of the Newport Restoration Foundation and Elephant Family USA

STANDARDS

NCSS: People, Places, and Environments • Science, Technology, and Society • Global Connections

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.5, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

GEOGRAPHY

March of the Elephants

This unusual herd is making its way across the United States with an important message.

February 2025

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

What has 200 eyes and 400 legs, and doesn’t make a sound? This herd of Indian elephants!

The 100 life-sized sculptures are part of a traveling exhibit from India called “The Great Elephant Migration.” The goal is to raise awareness about how humans and animals can share land and resources.

In India, encounters between humans and elephants have become more common as the human population has grown. In 2023, India became the world’s most populous nation, with more than 1.4 billion people. In addition, an invasive shrub has been overtaking the elephants’ habitat and the plants they eat. This forces the elephants into urban areas to find food.

Communities in India are striving to peacefully coexist with the elephants—and that’s a message the exhibit organizers want to share.

About 200 Indigenous artisans made the sculptures in the Nilgiri Hills region of India. The herd began its U.S. journey this past July in Newport, Rhode Island. Its cross-country trip, which includes stops in Florida, Montana, and Wyoming, will end in California this summer.

Along the way, the statues are being sold to raise money for wildlife groups. When a statue is sold, a new one replaces it.

Exhibit founders hope the art inspires people. Visitors can pose for selfies and even touch the elephants. “We’re trying to re-create that feeling of awe and wonder and connection,” says exhibit co-founder Ruth Ganesh.

—Lisa M. Herrington