Great Elephant Migration Comes to Boston

Beantown hasn’t hosted a group of visitors this big since the Tall Ships pulled into Boston Harbor. A herd of one hundred life-sized elephant sculptures recently gathered along a tree-lined stretch of greenery near the city’s historic Back Bay neighborhood. Waking up to a mile-long procession of life-like elephants felt like a dream to many local Bostonians—a few of whom were undoubtedly reminded of the Groucho Marx character, Captain Spaulding, who said: “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.”

But it wasn’t a dream. The herd is part of “The Great Elephant Migration,” a public art installation that’s been touring the country to raise awareness for human-wildlife coexistence and wildlife conservation. They’ll be in Boston until September 13, when they set off for California on the final leg of their U.S. tour—unless we can convince them to stay an extra day or two to walk the Freedom Trail.

So, who exactly are these oversized visitors that have captivated locals and out-of-town visitors alike since the moment they arrived a few short weeks ago? 

The Herd Shot ‘Round the World

The traveling art exhibition known as The Great Elephant Migration was conceived a decade ago by the cofounder of The Coexistence Collective, Ruth Ganesh (yes, her last name really is the same as the elephant god). Ganesh, who has spearheaded a number of creative wildlife conservation projects, had the idea of taking 100 life-sized Asian elephant sculptures on a global tour to increase awareness of India’s human-wildlife coexistence—and to raise funds to help restore elephant habitats in India, whose forests are being devasted by an invasive plant, forcing wildlife into urban areas in search of food.

Each of the 100 life-sized elephant sculptures in The Great Elephant Migration was constructed from lantana camara—the very same toxic plant that has been responsible for the loss of some 40% of India’s forests—which was then woven over a steel frame. The elephants are all handcrafted by 200 indigenous artisans who live alongside the local elephant population in several communities in southern India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Each elephant, which takes from three to four months to complete, is also based on a real-life elephant personally known to the artisan.

Learning the story behind the herd members brings an even greater sense of wonder to those fortunate enough to witness The Great Elephant Migration firsthand. Strolling between the calves and tuskers gathered at their temporary home in Boston—and knowing that each one was modeled on a living elephant in India and built from an invasive plant that is destroying their habitat—makes the experience even more magical.

There were throngs of families enjoying The Great Elephant Migration during a recent visit by this writer. After watching a young girl running up to a small elephant and squeal with laughter while trying to grab its big tusk, I was tempted to do my Groucho voice and give her some more of Captain Spaulding: “We tried to remove the tusks. But they were embedded so firmly we couldn't budge them. Of course, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa, but that is entirely ir-elephant to what I was talking about.”

The Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation is one of the proud sponsors who helped to bring The Great Elephant Migration to Boston. We hope you get to enjoy this extraordinary exhibition before it leaves the city on September 13 for the final leg of their tour in Livermore, California (October 8 to December 8). But there is one more opportunity to meet a few members of the herd ...

Alnoba, our leadership development retreat in Kensington, New Hampshire, is home to a permanent installation featuring seven of the life-sized elephants from The Great Elephant Migration. The idyllic grounds of Alnoba are also dotted with many sculptures from local New England artists. With a reservation, visitors are welcome to enjoy nature while touring the grounds of Alnoba at any time of the year.

Or better still, on our Soul of India: The Colorful South adventure, you can view living herds of magnificent Asian elephants at the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. And you never know—maybe you’ll spot a few of the original models who posed for this truly special exhibition. Pachyderms have great memories, but The Great Elephant Migration is something Bostonians will never forget.

Visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and seek out wild Asian elephants during Soul of India: The Colorful South.