The Ringling Brothers Circus has announced that it will not be continuing the "Greatest Show on Earth." The circus began in 1919 by P.T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey and showcased the famous elephants that brought so much fame to the company.
In 1995, the Center for Elephant Conservation was opened by the circus in order to encourage to protection, breeding, and research of the Asian elephants in the show. Once an elephant is retired, it is moved to this facility to spend the remainder of its days.
In addition to the crowd favorite, the show also contained dogs (who are reportedly adopted from shelter and other poor living conditions), horses, and tigers among others. The tigers (Siberian and Bengal) also participate in research and breeding programs until they are retired to Big Cat Rescue once they have completed their circus career.
The show has not been without criticism for their use of animals in the show. Animal welfare and activist groups are opposed to the use of animals, both wild and domestic, in shows. They have protested many venues claiming the animals have been subjected to cruel training, inhumane traveling conditions, and lack of mental and physical stimulation.
The circus has been investigated for the unfortunate death of a lion as it was transported across the Mojave Desert. The cause of death was heat and lack of water. In 1998, the circus was also investigated for the forcing of a sick elephant to perform in a show. While the show states it has a full veterinary staff on hand at all times for the animals, they have claimed no wrongdoing for any animal death and have settled out of all accusations.
After this widespread criticism, the circus made an announcement in 2015 that all uses of elephants in the show would cease by 2018. The circus cites local laws about using elephants for entertainment shows as the cause for the discontinuation and not the claims made by animal rights groups that the use of elephants violated the Endangered Species Act. The claims made were later found to be false and the groups were ordered to pay a fee to Ringling for conspiracy to harm the business.
After the announcement was made that elephants would no longer be in the show, there was a drop in the amount of attendance to the performances. High operating costs and low ticket sales were reported as the reason for the ending of the show. The Ringling Brothers Circus held shows all around the world for 146 years.
