The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus made a decision to end elephant circus acts early due to heightened criticism after local governments have passed an “anti-circus” and “anti-elephant” ordinances stemming from public outrage over animal cruelty.
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The Ringling herd at the conservation centre in Florida will total 42 once the travelling elephant shows cease.
A year ago we also told you about a rumor that Feld Entertainment would be purchased by Disney.
The 11 touring elephants will join the rest of the herd at a conservation center in central Florida. Ringling, meanwhile, has maintained that its trainers lovingly look after the elephants and have an “excellent record of care for all our animals”.
More than six American cities have banned the use of exotic animals in circuses including Los Angeles and Huntington Beach.
“Feld Entertainment’s plans to breed these elephants will not result in any being released into the wild”, said Cathy Liss, president of the group Animal Welfare Institute, in email. The company will reveal its first elephant-free production in April this year. Feld revealed its plans to expedite the removal of elephants from its circus acts on Monday morning. Previously, the company had issued a statement indicating that the elephants would be retired by 2018.
“Pound for pound, the elephants were the biggest stars of the show, but they weren’t in the show for a long period of time”, Payne explained.
The organization further criticizes Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for their methods of training elephants, which include the use of bullhooks, electric prods, and ropes.
There are 11 Asian elephants touring the country, as of January.
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Numerous elephants are painfully arthritic, and may have tuberculosis, so their retirement day needs to come now. They will also take part in medical research, such as why cancer is much less common in elephants than it is in humans. That’s a paradox known among scientists, and now researchers think they may have an explanation – one they say might someday lead to new ways to protect people from cancer.
