100 life-sized elephant sculptures migrate to NYC: Here's where to see them

NEW YORK CITY - One hundred life-sized Indian elephant sculptures have migrated to New York City.

The installation, located in the Meatpacking District, is on display to raise awareness and money for conservation efforts around the world. 

"They are here to bring a message," Jeffrey LeFrancois, executive director of the Meatpacking District said. "Not only is this public art, but its art with a message about community and coexistence." 

"The Great Elephant Migration" marks one of the largest outdoor installations in New York City since Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates in 2005.

The elephants were created by a community of 200 indigenous artisans living within India's Nilgiri Biosphere reserve. The elephants are modeled after ones they live alongside, know by name, and personality.

The sculptures are crafted from Lantana camara, an invasive plant species that has spread across 300,000 square kilometers of India's forests, reducing food sources for all herbivores.

"The folks that made these from the southern hills of India, the native tribes there, are eradicating the forest of an evasive plant species and turning that into these elephants about how they live along these species day in and day out and need to do so to survive," LeFrancois said.  

Elephants are located all along 9th Avenue, over Horatio and 8th Avenue, a couple of spots on 14th Street and at a new plaza in Gansevoort Landing right on the edge of the West Side Highway. 

The herd started their migration in Rhode Island and is now in the Meatpacking District until Oct. 20. 

The elephants are set to travel to Miami, Blackfeet Nation, Buffalo Pastures in Browning, Montana, and Los Angeles throughout 2025. 

To learn more about the "Great Elephants Migration" conservation mission, click here.