Channel 9 got a look at life for retired circus elephants that were transferred to Polk County after their final Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey’s performance in Rhode Island.
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Animal rights groups also question why elephants are being retired from the Ringling show, but not the other exotic animals like tigers, lions and camels.
They will live at Ringling’s Center for Elephant Conservation, about 40 miles south of downtown Orlando, where they will be used in reproductive, geriatric and behavioral studies and pediatric cancer research, said Wendy Kiso, director of elephant conservation. Center for Elephant Conservation Welcome to one of the world’s biggest (no pun intended) homecomings live from the Ringling Bros. “There was a lot of emotion from the performers, from the audience and from our animal-care team”. Two others are on breeding loan to zoos.
The oldest elephant at the center is named Mysore; she is 70. The gentle giant has been popular with students in the center’s elephant husbandry and handling training program. But soon there will be no more wild. In the early 1800s, Hackaliah Bailey added the elephant “Old Bet” to his circus. Traveling the country in rail cars was inhumane and caused depression in the animals, activists said. Feld officials deny that the elephants were mistreated.
He called elephants beloved members of the circus family and thanked the animals for more than 100 years of service. Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the same concerns that apply to elephants in captivity apply to all other wild animals.
“We are spending over $6 million a year on food and veterinarian care, we have quite the grocery list”, Henning said. Elephants rarely get cancer, and now this large herd will help researchers discover why.
But rounding the corner, it quickly becomes clear that this is not your run-of-the mill vacation spot – unless you happen to be an Asian elephant.
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“It’s sweet in the sense that at the end of the day it’s about these magnificent creatures and conservation and ensuring these guys will be around for generations to come”.
