Life-size elephant herd exhibit coming to Hermann Park

• "The Great Elephant Migration" will be on view through April, after stops in New York City, Miami and Newport, Rhode Island.

How they're made: Indigenous Indian artisans from the Real Elephant Collective craft the sculptures from an invasive weed called Lantana camara.

• They range in weight from about 176 pounds for a calf to about 880 pounds for a tusker, which also measures 15 feet long.

The intrigue: For the first time, the original herd of 100 elephant sculptures will be joined by the biggest elephant yet in Houston.

• The massive tusker was modeled after a real Kenyan elephant who was a true giant of the African savanna, towering at 10 feet tall and weighing over 6 tons.

Stunning stat: The invasive Lantana camara has entangled 300,000 square kilometers of India's forests, diminishing food sources for herbivores. It is also invasive in Texas, where it disrupts native ecosystems.

• "The Great Elephant Migration is more than an art installation — it is a call to action and a place to experience joy," said Cara Lambright, president and CEO of Hermann Park Conservancy.
• "By bringing this breathtaking global effort to Hermann Park, we are inviting our community to be part of a worldwide movement to protect ecosystems, eradicate invasive species, and inspire change," Lambright said. "These are shared values that span continents."