Jackson, WYOMING (KIFI) – The National Museum of Wildlife Art has a new exhibit for the month of June. 32 life size elephant sculptures built by indigenous artists in India are here as part of The Great Elephant Migration.
The Great Elephant Migration started their journey across the United States in 2024 in Rhode Island, moving around the United States before ending their journey in Los Angeles next month.
Aubrey Baker, the exhibition manager, says the elephants’ migration across the United States is to “share their coexistence message with the world while amplifying indigenous knowledge.”
About half of the herd arrived in Jackson back in May, but it took a long time for the herd to get here. The Great Elephant Migration reached out to the National Museum of Wildlife Art back in 2024.
Madison Webb Stanko, the chief marketing officer for the museum, said “our curatorial team, our board and our staff were extremely excited about this opportunity. The elephant’s message of coexistence is one that really resonates with our mission and our vision.”
Each elephant is sculpted in India out of an invasive weed called Lantana Camara. Which means that with each elephant sculpted, more of the Asian Elephants’ habitat is restored. Each sculpture is modeled after a real elephant that lives in the Nilgiri Hills of India.
While elephants may not be native to Wyoming, the museum felt like the exhibit’s message of coexistence was just as important in Jackson.
“The message of coexistence is one that is extremely relevant to the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, because every day we are interacting with elk, bison, grizzlies, all the way down to grouse and marmots. It is a smorgasbord of wildlife, and so that message of coexistence really hits home,” Webb Stanko said.
After the herd has made all of its stops around the U.S., each elephant will be sold to raise money for conservation non-profits.
“It’s a better way to think about coexisting, to live among wildlife, and to share space,” Baker said.
The Great Elephant Migration will be in Jackson until June 20, and there will be a farewell event for the exhibit on June 22.
