Photo via Wikicommons
By 2018, there'll be no more elephants in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, ABC News reports. "A lot of people aren't comfortable with us touring with our elephants," said a spokesman for the circus's parent company. The decision to phase out their iconic elephant acts comes both from public outcry against animal cruelty and also city legislation that explicitly bans elephant big top shows. ABC News reports that the circus will probably transition towards more feats of human strength and daring, following the cue of Canada-based competitor Cirque du Soleil, but will still feature animals like camels in their art. Though the elephant is a long-time symbol of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, CEO Kenneth Feld remarked that a successful business needs to adapt to an evolving market, and pointed out that when his father acquired the circus in 1967, they were still doing human oddity freak shows, which were also phased out.1. The Love and Struggle of Producing a Left-Wing Circus
2. Somaliland's Circus Performers Are Acrobats with a Social Mission
3. L. Ron Hubbard's Great-Grandson Is a Circus Ringmaster
4. In Search of the Monkey Girl
