New elephant exhibit in the US that opened November 2023 at The American Museum of Natural History explores what science has begun to reveal about elephants' minds, bodies, behaviours and their role in the ecosystem.
We were thrilled to see this new elephant exhibit open last Autumn, which strives to highlight inspiring efforts to overcome threats to elephants' survival as well as give immersive insight into the evolution of this magnificent mega-herbivore. It is truly encouraging to see this sort of thought provoking and interactive exhibit, that all generations can engage in.
Photos from behind the scenes.
The making of the woolly mammoth, African elephant and dwarf elephant models:
Photographs reproduced courtesy of The American Museum of Natural History. Photo above left and centre: Alvaro Keding/© AMNH and photo above right: Matt Shanley/© AMNH.
"Explore humans’ life with elephants, including conflict and conservation, through exhibits that examine the impact of killing elephants for ivory, how climate change is affecting elephants, and ways that humans and elephants can share the planet."
Curator emeritus of The Secret World of Elephants, Ross MacPhee, is a paleomammalogist known for his research on island extinctions, with a more recent focus on extinctions that have occurred during the last 50,000 years in North America and northern Asia. He also has collaborated with geneticists and molecular biologists to develop new ways of using ancient DNA and proteins to study Pleistocene extinctions and helped establish the Museum’s Ancient Biomolecules Laboratory in 2022.
Visitors taking in the exhibition.
Dwarf elephant models, video projection showing inside an African elephant and Hindu God Ganesh:
Photographs reproduced courtesy of The American Museum of Natural History. Above 3 photos: Alvaro Keding/© AMNH
If, like us, you can't get over to New York to see the exhibit in real life, check out their website which contains some interesting elephant facts, including a 7 minute Youtube film that you can enjoy free of charge from your own home!