An Asian elephant performs during the national anthem for the final time at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Sunday, May 1, 2016, in Providence, R.I. The circus closes its own chapter on a controversial practice that has entertained audiences since circuses began in America two centuries ago.
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The conservation center sits on 200 acres of property in rural Florida situated between Sarasota and Orlando, and touts itself as a “home to the largest Asian elephant herd in the Western Hemisphere”.
The move means early retirement for the circus’ 11 remaining Asian elephants that range in age from 6-year-old April to 48-year-old Asia.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will use elephants in its performances for the last time on Sunday. Protesters are expected at both locations.
Even though the elephants will disappear from “The Greatest Show on Earth”, it will still feature other wild animals like tigers and lions.
“It’s the end of a long era and it’s an overdue policy”, said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, WCNC reported.
While many animal rights activists are celebrating this first step to putting the Ringling Bros. elephants out of harm’s way, they note that the conservation center is no “fairy tale ending” for these majestic beasts.
The elephants’ final exit from the circus brought back for memories for people who grew up with the circus.
“Elephants at the CEC still live in fear of being hit with bullhooks-heavy batons with a sharp steel hook on one end (picture a fireplace poker)-and shocked with electric prods, also called ‘hot shots.’ Despite mounting condemnation of these barbaric weapons, Ringling has staunchly defended their use.”
Kelly Ann, an elephant from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, is petted by children during a promotional event linked to the Brazil 2014 World Cup, in Los Angeles, California July 9, 2014.
The Humane Society says more than a dozen other circuses continue with elephant acts, but none tour as widely or are as well-known as Ringling Bros.
The change at Ringling signifies a shift in Americans’ understanding of elephants, Tobias said.
The giant pachyderms’ last act follows decades of protests by animal rights activists claiming the methods used to train and house the elephants are cruel.
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The elephants are a big part of the circus and an act many people come out to see, so of course, they will be sadly missed. Researchers want to find out why so they are using the center’s elephants to study the cancer-fighting gene entangled in their DNA.
