A herd of elephants is migrating toward Jackson for a month-long stay at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
The Great Elephant Migration is a public art exhibition of life-size Indian elephant sculptures made by a collective of Indian artisans. They’ve traveled from Rhode Island to Texas, and Wyoming is the next stop on their migration with a mission.
“This exhibit is about sharing space, supporting those local conservation agencies, and learning to live alongside these wild animals,” said Madison Webb Stanco, the museum’s chief marketing officer. “Coexistence is something we deal with in our daily lives in Wyoming, and we have to learn how to live with wildlife, whether they're elephants, grizzly bears, bison, or elk.”
Familiar Faces
The Great Elephant Migration started in Newport, Rhode Island, in July 2024. The herd of 100 life-size matriarchs, calves, adolescents, and “tuskers” was made with steel and lantana camara, an invasive weed that’s become one of many conservation issues plaguing elephants in India.
The sculptures were made by artisans working for The Real Elephant Collective, an enterprise of over 200 indigenous artists from several communities within India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The reserve is the nation’s largest protected forest and home to the largest population of Indian elephants.
Each sculpture is unique. Webb Stanco said the artisans modeled each sculpture after an actual elephant living on the reserve.
“They replicated real elephants, which I think is incredible,” she said. “These Indian artisans sculptured the elephants they knew.”
The herd has been on a year-long journey across the United States since last July. They spent two months in New York City before moving through Miami, Florida and Houston, Texas.
The herd arriving in Jackson has only 32 elephants. The rest of the herd is heading toward the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana, for the annual Iinnii Days on June 4-6.
Many of these elephants will remain in the United States as part of a "white elephant sale" for conservation. The sculptures have been available for purchase at each stop along their westward migration, and several of the elephants arriving in Jackson have yet to find permanent homes.
“They range in price from $14,000 to $28,000,” Webb Stanco said. “All the calves from the herd coming to Jackson are sold, but they are selling four matriarchs for $18,000.”
Elephant herds are matriarchal, led by elder females. Males are solitary or form small bachelor herds but are known to visit female herds where they have familial ties.
All the proceeds from the elephant sculptures go back to The Real Elephant Collective, which pays the Indian artisans and supports global conservation initiatives. Wyomingites who want to acquire one of the matriarchs — Alchemy, Urmi, Prana, or Ranjini — or one of the many tuskers will have a chance to do so, ready for delivery by September.
(Photo by Corey Favino, Courtesy Elephant Family USA and Newport Restoration Foundation) 
National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. (Photo Courtesy National Museum of Wildlife Art) 
A 10-by-10-by-64-foot bronze sculptured by Richard F. Loffler titled "The Buffalo Trail" at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. (Photo by Madison Webb, Courtesy National Museum of Wildlife Art)
Coexistence
The Great Elephant Migration will be displayed at the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s Sculpture Trail from May 14 to June 20.
“I wish they were here longer, but they’re moving on after a month,” Webb Stanco said.
The migration ends in Los Angeles, California, where the 100-strong herd of sculpted elephants will reunite in July.
Webb Stanco said the decision to host the Great Elephant Migration in Jackson was “a natural fit” for the museum, The Great Elephant Collective, and the Jackson community.
“They were looking for a stop in the Midwest or the Rocky Mountain West before they ended their journey,” she said. “They asked if we’d be interested in hosting the herd, and of course we were.”
Both African and Asian Elephants are classified as “Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their primary conservation threats are habitat loss and poaching for meat and ivory.
Webb Stanco said the exhibit’s message of coexistence with wildlife resonated with the museum’s staff and patrons. Although there aren’t any pachyderms roaming modern-day Wyoming, the wilderness throughout the Cowboy State makes coexistence a daily concern.
“Coexistence is something we deal with on a daily basis,” she said. “We just had a famous, beloved grizzly get hit by a car.”
The death of Grizzly 399, after she was struck by a vehicle in the Snake River Canyon in October 2024, was a potent reminder of the dangers in the world Wyoming shares with its native wildlife.
Grizzly 1058, one of 399’s infamous quadruplet cubs, suffered the same fate in Grand Teton National Park earlier this week.
Webb Stanco believes the message of the Great Elephant Migration will be even more impactful after the deaths of Grizzlies 399 and 1058. Although Wyoming’s grizzlies and India’s elephants are thousands of miles apart, their struggles are universal.
“Their mission is to share a coexistent story on a global and international scale,” she said. “I think that really resonates with the Jackson community. It was an excellent opportunity for us, and we’re excited to partner with them.”
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
