Ringling Bros. to stop elephant acts by 2018 amid public con

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Ringling Bros. to stop elephant acts by 2018 amid public concerns

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TAMARA LUSH POLK CITY, FLA. — The Associated Press

Published Thursday, Mar. 05 2015, 8:33 AM EST Last updated Thursday, Mar. 05 2015, 7:59 PM EST

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will phase out the show’s iconic elephants from its performances by 2018, telling Associated Press exclusively that growing public concern about how the animals are treated led to the decision.

Executives from Feld Entertainment, Ringling’s parent company, said the decision to end the circus’s century-old tradition of showcasing elephants was difficult and debated at length. Elephants have often been featured on Ringling’s posters over the decades. The decision is being announced Thursday.

“There’s been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers,” said Alana Feld, the company’s executive vice-president. “A lot of people aren’t comfortable with us touring with our elephants.”

Feld owns 43 elephants, and 29 of the giant animals live at the company’s 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida. Thirteen animals will continue to tour with the circus before retiring to the centre by 2018. One elephant is on a breeding loan to the Fort Worth Zoo.

Another reason for the decision, company president Kenneth Feld said, was that certain cities and counties have passed “anti-circus” and “anti-elephant” ordinances. The company’s three shows visit 115 cities throughout the year, and Feld said it’s expensive to fight legislation in each jurisdiction. It’s also difficult to plan tours amid constantly changing regulations, he said.

“All of the resources used to fight these things can be put towards the elephants,” Feld said during an interview at the Center for Elephant Conservation. “We’re not reacting to our critics; we’re creating the greatest resource for the preservation of the Asian elephant.”

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