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 Feld Entertainment said the 13 Asian elephants used in its
traveling shows will live at the company's 200-acre (81-
hectare) Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida
after they are retired over the next three years.
The animals represent a key symbol of the circus and have been
part of its shows for more than a century. The company said the
move was in response to changes in consumer preferences and the
legislative landscape, and would allow it to focus on its
conservation efforts for the endangered species.
"This decision was not easy, but it is in the best interest of
our company, our elephants and our customers," Kenneth Feld,
chairman and chief executive of Feld Entertainment, said in a
statement.
The company will still showcase tigers, lions, horses, dogs and
camels in its acts.
The circus has been targeted by animal welfare groups who
accused it of mistreating the elephants. Activists often appear
outside venues with fliers protesting the use of elephants and
pictures of animals they say are abused.
After Feld Entertainment sued, claiming malicious prosecution,
more than a dozen animal welfare groups agreed in 2012 and 2014
to pay settlements totaling about $25 million to end 14 years of
litigation.
Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA), a longtime critic of Ringling Bros.' treatment
of elephants, said on Thursday the circus should not wait to
phase out elephants from its performances.
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"If the decision is serious, then the circus needs to do it NOW,"
Newkirk said in a statement.
To push for quicker action, PETA and Long Island Orchestrating for
Nature will stage a demonstration Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Nassau
Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, where Ringling
appears this weekend.
Feld Entertainment, based in Ellenton, Florida, has 41 Asian
elephants, the largest herd in North America, and relocating the
show elephants will take time due to construction and staffing
considerations, company spokesman Stephen Payne said.
The company would rather spend resources on its elephant breeding
program than continue battling restrictions by cities, Payne said.
"We're not in the business of fighting city hall," he said.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem; Additional reporting
by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty, Bill
Trott and Eric Walsh)
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