Exhibit with 100 life-sized elephant sculptures arrives in Boston

There is something new staking its claim in Boston. You might not have heard, but the elephants are here.

The Great Elephant Migration has officially arrived in the Back Bay. The wildlife conservation exhibition launched in Newport, Rhode Island in the summer of 2024 and traveled across the United States. Heading south to Miami, Florida before migrating west to Beverly Hills.

Made of dried plant stems, the 100 life-sized elephants will be displayed freely down the mall of Commonwealth Avenue, starting at Farfield Street and heading toward the Boston Public Garden.

The elephants will be under 24/7 security and were already attracting thousands of onlookers before the exhibition officially opened.

"It's just very joyous," said Back Bay resident Pat Romeo-Gilbert. "It is just so fun to see this." Gilbert was one of the many people WBZ-TV spoke with who felt connected to the exhibition's philanthropic mission of promoting coexistence of animals and humans. 

To that point, there were some four-legged friends unsure of what to make of the large sculptures. Dogs up and down Commonwealth Avenue were having mixed reactions to their newest neighbors.

"She started staring at them super confused," said Alejandro Estrelles of his dog, Mila. "She started barking at them a little like, 'what are you doing here? This is my place. Why are you here?' I was recording [the dog] because I knew she was going to have some kind of reaction. It was funny."

The elephants are also available for purchase with proceeds going to the nonprofit.

The exhibition officially opens on Saturday and will be free and open to the public until it leaves on September 18.