Curtain call for Ringling Bros’ elephant shows after public pressure to scrap performances
At least 17 countries have outlawed circus acts featuring wild animals but the practice remains largely legal in the United States.
Elephants take a final bow at Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Sunday, ending a 145-year spectacle that delighted fans but enraged animal activists, who say the highly publicised retirement is not enough.
The last 11 elephants touring with “The Greatest Show on Earth” will leave behind their enormous studded tiaras and begin travelling on Monday to Ringling’s 200-acre (80-hectare) Centre for Elephant Conservation in central Florida, said Stephen Payne, spokesman for the circus’ parent company, Feld Entertainment.
Free-range sanctuaries that are as large as possible are a much better option
Bonnie, Juliette and nine other female Asian elephants are retiring earlier than originally planned, reflecting shifting US attitudes toward animal entertainment. SeaWorld Entertainment is phasing out killer whale shows at its amusement parks, halting the breeding of orcas in captivity as of last month and replacing the extravaganzas with what it terms educational encounters by 2019.
But the United States has a long way to go, say animal activist groups including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and The Elephant Sanctuary.
Even after the Ringling elephants perform their last headstands in Sunday shows in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and Providence, Rhode Island, a total of 69 elephants will still be in the possession of smaller US circuses and travelling acts, with some too crippled to be exhibited and some kept for breeding, said Peta spokeswoman Katie Arth.
Other wild animals continue as circus headliners, including at Ringling Bros, which tours with 28 tigers, six lions, one leopard, two kangaroos and three pythons, Payne said.
At least 17 countries have outlawed circus acts featuring wild animals, but the practice remains largely legal in the United States. Hawaii is poised to be the first state to ban them and more than a dozen municipalities have enacted their own prohibitions.