Ringling Bros to retire its elephants, ending a tradition

2015/03/05 22:55:44 @Entertainment News Headlines — Yahoo! News

POLK CITY, Fla. (AP) — Elephants have always been part of The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & amp; Bailey Circus, ever since showman P.T. Barnum brought Jumbo, & quot;a massive 12-foot African elephant, & quot; to America in 1882 to star in the & quot;Greatest Show on Earth. & quot; Whenever the circus came to town, parades of pachyderms heralded its arrival, drawing patriotic crowds that boosted sales and even attracted vote-hungry politicians. Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, still keeps 43 elephants, 13 of which are performing. But years of pressure from activists alleging abuse have caused a & quot;mood shift & quot; among consumers, circus executive Alana Feld told The Associated Press, and the Feld family would rather spend money on elephant care than lawyers. The Felds say they & #039;ll phase out elephant acts by 2018 as the remaining performers retire to their 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida.
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