Richard Branson beamed into the Upper East Side’s Explorers Club via Skype from his Necker Island hideaway Tuesday to make a heartfelt introduction for National Geographic film “Battle for the Elephants.” The Virgin mogul “looked like he was in a thatched hut,” said a spy, “with a fan twirling overheard in the background.” The film about the illegal ivory trade was hosted by David and Julia Koch for guests including Tommy
Hilfiger, Lauren Bush Lauren, paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey and Town & Country special-projects editor Amanda Hearst. Director John Heminway, whose doc will air on PBS, said 80 percent of illegal ivory is sold in China for everything from knickknacks to iPhone cases.
Richard Branson’s pachyderm party
