India is home to some of the planet’s best natural beauty. It’s teeming with wildlife, with iconic animals like Bengal tigers, Indian lions, greater one-horned rhinos, and the Indian elephant.
The country has experienced one of the largest population growths for its people and animals. The number of tigers, rhinos, lions, and elephants has doubled in the last three decades. A country of more than 1.4 billion people has to find ways to modernize without intruding on natural land.
Elephants are of particular interest, and some artists have created lifelike pieces to raise awareness about land use. The Great Elephant Migration is a collection of statues made by the Coexistence Collective, 200 members of the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan, and Soliga Tribes. The traveling exhibit is delivered by the Elephant Family, a charity that works to protect Asian wildlife.
The elephant herd is created with lantana camara, an invasive shrub that pushes wildlife out of forests toward urban centers.
The plant diminishes the food supply for herbivores, and using it keeps it out of protected habitats. The sculptures took five years to build, and they have embarked on a world tour to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.
Photo Courtesy Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
From July 4 to Sept. 7, 52 elephants will reside at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island. More herds can be viewed along the Cliff Walk, and a large tusker elephant can be seen at the Great Friends Meeting House in Newport. They will then trek across the United States for a year-long tour. Money will be raised to protect these animals and improve the conditions of rivers, land, and oceans.
The sculptures have traveled to cities like London, where they have also helped raise money for conservation. Rhode Island isn’t the only stop on the tour across the U.S.; the details, including information regarding ticket purchasing, will be announced before the stops.
Each elephant sculpture is paired with a conservation non-governmental organization. The funds from the sale of the sculptures will go toward further lantana camara removal in India’s Protected Areas. They are listed for between $7,500 to $20,000. Supporters can also also donate on the Migration website.
The European Nature Trust says these sculptures will also aid in carbon sequestration. The project will have sequestered more than 2,600 tons of carbon dioxide by 2025, with the goal of making lantana into biochar. In addition, around 500 jobs will be created for India’s Indigenous communities.
According to The Great Elephant Migration website, the organization has already raised more than $500,000 to support the Indigenous communities crafting the pieces.
These Tribes look after most of the biodiversity in India’s southern Protected Areas.
The hope is that this effort will also foster more understanding of human-wildlife coexistence. It’s one thing to have deer and raccoons in the backyard, like in the Northeast U.S. However, in India, you are likely to interact with an elephant walking down the street of a busy city.
Photo Courtesy Guatam Arora
Clearing the invasive weeds will keep herbivores in the protected areas where tigers hunt for prey. The Migration says the project has removed 100 hectares between the three regions and hopes to clear 300 hectares by 2026. The sale of the sculptures will also fund clean-ups of salt marshes near Narragansett Bay in Newport, restoring the population of salt marsh sparrows.
It’s not just elephants that need conservation. Tigers, like elephants, are also migrating closer to urban areas looking for food. According to the Indian minister of state for forest, environment, and climate change, the country is home to 75% of the world’s tiger population. World Wildlife Fund says the country’s tiger population is now more than 3,100, which has been a major success for India. The government enacted strict tiger conservation laws in the 1970s after tiger populations hit critical levels.
