Elephants are still used in other circuses in the United States but it has become increasingly hard to perform with elephants, as a growing number of U.S. cities in states including California, Massachusetts and Virginia ban circuses from using the ankus.
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The animals will head to Ringling Bros. elephant sanctuary in Florida to live out their days.
He called elephants beloved members of the circus family and thanked the animals for more than 100 years of service. The advocacy organization hopes other circuses will follow suit.
According to the AP report, Alana Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment said that the elephants will live in Ringling’s 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.
“We love our girls”. He noted that he’s seen a wave of animal-friendly decisions in the wake of Ringling’s announcement, including several circuses who have chose to end their own exotic animal shows.
The Center for Elephant Conservation is located in rural Polk City, between Orlando and Tampa. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won more than $25 million in settlements from animal-rights groups, including the Humane Society, over unproven allegations of mistreated elephants. The cost to care for each elephant, which stand up to 10 feet tall, weigh up to 11,000 pounds and eat up to 300 pounds of food a day, amounts to $65,000 annually.
The elephants’ move to Ringling Bros.
“We’re not reacting to our critics”, he said.
Elephants have been used in the circus in America from the early 1800s onwards. Elephants have far fewer incidents of cancer, so researchers are looking for clues in the blood samples of Ringling elephants that could change how cancer is treated in pediatric patients.
In January, I wrote that the next time the circus comes to town, the elephants wouldn’t be here.
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“In many ways, we’re really creating a whole new genre of circus”, she said.
