Elephants to perform for final time at Ringling Bros. circus

In this March 19, 2015, file photo, elephants perform at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Washington. Ringling Bros. is scheduled to have its final elephant show during a performance Sunday, May 1, 2016, in Providence, R.I.
In this March 19, 2015, file photo, elephants perform at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Washington. Ringling Bros. is scheduled to have its final elephant show during a performance Sunday, May 1, 2016, in Providence, R.I.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Elephants will perform for the last time Sunday at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as the show closes its own chapter on a controversial practice that has entertained audiences since circuses began in America two centuries ago.

Six Asian elephants will deliver their final performance in Providence, R.I., and five will perform in Wilkes Barre, Penn., during several shows Sunday. The Providence show will stream live at 7:45 p.m. on Facebook and at Ringling.com.

The animals will live at the 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. A herd of 40 Asian elephants, the largest in North America, will continue a breeding program and be used in a pediatric cancer research project, said Alana Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus.

Humane Society officials have called for an end to the breeding program and for Ringling to retire the animals to one of two accredited sanctuaries, one in California and one in Tennessee, both of which have more than 2,000 acres of land.

Feld said they have the most successful breeding program in North America and have determined they can accommodate the elephants in the space they have.

The change at Ringling signifies a shift in Americans' understanding of elephants, said Ronald Tobias, author of the 2013 book "Behemoth: The History of the Elephant in America." Dozens of cities have also banned the use of bullhooks — used to train elephants — and some states are considering such legislation.

"I think people will get a lot more satisfaction out of elephants living their real lives than to see them performing as clowns," Tobias said.

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