Animals belong in the wild, not captivity. This is a message being heard loud and clear this year, as marine parks and zoos continue to receive flack from animal rights activists. The efforts of outspoken activists have paid off, however. Increased concern over the treatment of SeaWorld’s orcas has forced the marine park to end its killer whale show. And now, the famous circus company, Ringling Bros., has revealed that it will be removing Asian elephants from its act in an effort to help protect an endangered species. BBC reports that Feld Entertainment, the parent company Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, told the media in March that it would begin phasing out elephants removing them completely from their shows by the year 2018.
At present, the circus has 13 elephants traveling with three different acts and plans to place those elephants at the conservation center in Florida by 2018. More than 40 elephants are presently cared for by the conservation center, the company said. According to multiple sources, the change was not spurred by animal rights activists, but instead the growing public concern about how the animals are treated. Either way, it’s a win being celebrated around the world.
“This is the most significant change we have made since we founded the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in 1995,” Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment said in a statement. “When we did so, we knew we would play a critical role in saving the endangered Asian elephant for future generations, given how few Asian elephants are left in the wild.”
The circus will continue to tour with other animal performers, including tigers, lions, horses, dogs and camels. What are your thoughts on this news? Comment below and share this article!
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