Ringling brothers’ parent company Feld Entertainment announced last year their decision to end the traveling elephant acts, and are following through with that promise nearly two years ahead of schedule.
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Ringling Brothers was also embroiled in a 14-year lawsuit in which animal rights groups alleged the circus was mistreating its herd.
But with the last elephant show ever in the past, there could a new future ahead for these exhausted animals.
Ringling Brothers’ parent company, Feld Entertainment, operates an elephant conservation center in Florida, where numerous animals are retired.
The animals are going to the facility a bit earlier. For the last show, the stars spun, frolicked, stood on their hind legs and posed in a headstand.
Last month, Sea World announced it would end live orca shows and breeding.
Now he’ll have to continue the circus streak without his beloved elephants.
The elephants’ move to Ringling Bros. For years, the elephants and their dance routines featured prominently in the shows.
The circus has faced a torrent of criticism from animal rights groups, including widely circulated videos from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that show a male handler hitting elephants with a sharp, pointed stick, known as an ankus, before a performance.
Animal lovers are also demanding freedom for other animals from circus rings. Feld did not admit wrongdoing, but they did pay the 0,000 penalty and promised to implement new training for all personnel who handle animals. “Do we celebrate this last day – yes”, said Chris DeRose, founder of Last Chance for Animals, one of the protesters outside the stadium here.
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Ringling has not revealed any plans to stop other performances starring animals, including tigers, lions, horses, dogs, and camels.
