“True American icons”, Iverson added.
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Then the elephants sashayed one last time, back through the curtain and out of sight, closing a popular, though deeply controversial, chapter of the famous enterprise’s history. Ringling Brothers says it will continue to use other animals like lions, tigers, and horses in their acts.
When the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ performers spin, twirl, jump and sparkle in the colored spotlights, David Orr, 77, turns his attention elsewhere – to the mesmerized children who pack the stands, many waiting to see an elephant for the first time.Orr was once one of those children.
On Sunday, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performed its final elephant shows in Providence, Rhode Island, and Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, before retiring its remaining elephants for good. They normally roam vast areas of wilderness and form long-lasting bonds with other elephants in their herds.
Researchers, academics and conservationists study the elephants at the center, looking for ways to re-populate the Asian elephant, an endangered species. Ringling announced plans earlier this year to phase out the show.
After that, PETA contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which brought a complaint against the circus, charging it with failing to handle Kenny “as expeditiously and carefully as possible in a manner that did not cause behavioral stress and unnecessary discomfort”. “I wouldn’t say they never get any pleasure from (performing), but it’s a very diminished kind of pleasure”.
He called elephants beloved members of the circus family and thanked the animals for more than 100 years of service. Eyewitness News Reporter Crystal Cranmore has our story. The advocacy organization hopes other circuses will follow suit.
Ringling Brothers was also embroiled in a 14-year lawsuit in which animal rights groups alleged the circus was mistreating its herd. The case had been tied up in litigation for 14 years.
“It is a bittersweet decision, there is no question about that, but it is the best thing, and we felt this was the right time to do it”, said Kenneth Field, CEO of Feld Entertainment. “I really think that I just want the elephants staying in the circus”, she chirped.
“They’ll be able to behave like elephants instead of circus animals”, she said.
While the animals adjusted to performing and traveling with the circus and will adapt to the quieter activity of the conservation center, either way they’re not living the life they would want to lead, he said. “We believe it’s necessary in working with them and interacting with them”. “We’re creating the greatest resource for the preservation of the Asian elephant”. Ringling is continuing its breeding program and the elephants will be used in pediatric cancer treatment.
The company was sure to plug all these points during the live broadcast of the circus.
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Elephants have performed for the last time at one of the top circuses in the United States.
