Creatives
Inspired by the life in the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India, where wild elephants are recognised by their personalities, habits and histories, conceptual artist Ruth Ganesh, together with Dr Tarsh Thekaekara, a conservation researcher from the Nilgiris, joined forces in 2015 to imagine The Great Elephant Migration.
Their partnership grew into a collaboration with The Real Elephant Collective, a community of skilled indigenous artisans who recreate every curve and gesture of the wild herds they live alongside.
By fusing worlds, the project transforms an ambitious dream into reality: the migration of 100-strong herds of elephants across continents, to share their story with the world.
Every sculpture begins with a real elephant
Before they travelled across America; appeared on city streets, in museums and public parks, the herd roamed the forests, grasslands and tea-covered hills of the Nilgiri Hills in southern India.
Here, more than a quarter of a million people share space with the largest remaining population of Asian elephants, alongside tigers, leopards, gaur, langurs and a miriad of species.
As elephants move between forests, farms, villages and towns their movements are anticipated, discussed and respected. For the Indigenous Peoples of the Nilgiris, this relationship stretches back generations and is a living example of coexistence.
The Real Elephant Collective
What began in a roofless workshop in the corner of a coffee plantation has grown into a leading Indigenous-led enterprise model and a global platform for coexistence.
Shaped by stories, traditions and belief systems rooted in centuries of living alongside wildlife, the collective imbues deep cultural knowledge into every stage of the making process.
Each elephant is crafted by artisans from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This is a story of art and enterprise, of people and planet moving forwards together - one handcrafted elephant at a time.
The Kattunayakan people live across 44 settlements in the two districts of the Nilgiri Hills. As the most forest‑dependent of the region’s communities - reflected in their name, Kattu (forest) Nayakan (rulers).
The Kattunayakan have long practised hunting‑and‑gathering traditions and are renowned for exceptional honey‑collecting skills. Their deep knowledge of forest systems and resources remains central to their cultural identity.
The Bettakurumba are one of seven Kurumba groups in the Nilgiri region. Traditionally hunter‑gatherers, the community is also renowned for exceptional elephant‑handling skills, with many members working as mahouts.
The Paniyas are the largest community in the region. A long history of marginalisation has shaped their experience, and the group has traditionally been closely connected to agricultural work, often employed as labourers on farms and plantations.
The Soligas have a deep, enduring connection to the forest, which remains central to their cultural and spiritual identity. For many households, the sale of foraged forest produce also provides an important source of livelihood.
The Nilgiri Hills
The highest density of human-elephant overlap on the planet
Home of The Real Elephant Collective
Where more than a quarter of a million people share space with the largest remaining population of Asian elephants, alongside tigers, leopards and countless other species.
Lantana Camara: one of the world's top invasive plants is transformed from environmental threat into economic opportunity.
Every elephant carries the fingerprints of its makers.
Dr Tarsh Thekaekara
Tarsh is a founding member of The Real Elephant Collective and a conservation-researcher based in the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India. His work focuses on elephant behaviour, individual personalities, human-elephant relationship, and Indigenous approaches to managing invasive species such as Lantana camara.
Ruth Ganesh
Ruth is an environmentalist and conceptual artist who leads and conceived The Great Elephant Migration. Over two decades, she has developed a model that unites art, culture, storytelling and philanthropy to inspire environmental action. Under her direction projects have raised more than $30 million for wildlife conservation, habitat connectivity, ecosystem restoration and community-led coexistence.
The Real Elephant Collective
A community of skilled indigenous artisans in the Nilgiri Hills who create life‑sized elephant sculptures inspired by the wild herds around them. Rooted in tradition and cultural practice, master craftsmen train for up to three years to learn each stage of the making process, then establish their own workshops, creating local employment and passing knowledge to future generations.
Lantana Camara
The elephants are made from lantana camara, a strong and highly invasive weed covering 300,000 sq km of India's Protected Areas. Its spread pushes wildlife out from forests and increases conflict. Turning lantana into sculptures helps free the forests for wildlife.
Introducing
Creative Collabs
The Great Elephant Migration collaborates with celebrated contemporary artists and fashion houses, inviting the creation of original works in response to the migration.
Collaborators include renowned artists including Hadi Falapishi, Daniel Buren and Vikram Goyal.
Our Logo
Created by celebrated Indian truck artists, from Tamil Nadu, the logo and motifs follow the vibrant tradition of lorry painting, a folk art that combines bold color, ornate patterns and good natured instructions that have become iconic on Indian roads.
