elephant is long gone

[Eugene2114]

He was sentenced to 20 years... After his release, Mr. Bhaktipada lived in Manhattan at the headquarters of his splinter group, ..., before moving to India.
... New Vrindaban was accepted back into the Hare Krishna movement in 1998. Today the community endures, though with fewer than 250 members. The elephant is long gone.

[Eugene2114]

Sorry, I failed to ask a question: "The elephant is long gone." - what was that about?
Thank you.

[Dozy]

As far as I can tell from http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/?p=23687 , it's literal. There used to be an elephant at New Vrindaban, but the elephant left (or died) a long time ago.

[Eugene2114]

Oh, yes, Dozy, I seem to not have paid enough attention to small details in the text.
Thank you.