Elephants give last Ringling show
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An elephant carrying a performer holding an American flag kicked off the final elephant performance at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Sunday.
Six Asian elephants were delivering their final performances in Providence, R.I., and five performed in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, earlier Sunday.
Alana Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, said the animals will live at its 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. Its herd of 40 Asian elephants, the largest in North America, will continue a breeding program and be used in a pediatric cancer research project.
Elephants have been used in the circus in America for more than 200 years. In the early 1800s, Hackaliah Bailey added the elephant “Old Bet” to his circus. P.T. Barnum added the African elephant he named “Jumbo” to “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1882.
The Humane Society says more than a dozen circuses in the United States continue to use elephants. But none tour as widely or are as well- known as Ringling Bros.
It’s also getting more difficult for circuses to tour with elephants. Dozens of cities have banned the use of bullhooks — used to train elephants — and some states are considering such legislation.
The Humane Society has called for an end to the breeding program and for Ringling to retire the animals to one of two accredited sanctuaries.
Feld said it has the most successful breeding program in North America and has determined it can accommodate the elephants in the space it has. 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.
