(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Yes, there are elephants on the streets of New York! Dozens of life-sized elephant sculptures made by the Coexistence Collective, a community of 200 Indigenous artisans living within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in South India, came to the city in early September. Called The Great Elephant Migration, the installation was created in partnership between the collective and the NGO Elephant Family USA to spread the message about humanity’s mutual coexistence with all other species on this planet and how understanding it is critical to the survival of all.
The elephants arrived in the United States on July 4 and were first displayed in Newport, Rhode Island, before making their way to New York City. They will continue their journey westward, with stops in Miami; in Blackfeet Nation, Buffalo Pastures, in Browning, Montana; and finally in Los Angeles next July. Funds raised from their sale—prices range from $8,000 for a baby up to $22,000 for an adult elephant—will go toward NGO projects for human-wildlife coexistence worldwide.
Last Look is a recurring photography feature on the final pages of SSIR’s print magazine, featuring images that inspire from around the world of social innovation. For more from SSIR’s Winter 2025 issue, go here.
Read more stories by Marcie Bianco.