Ringling Phases Out Use of Elephants By 2018

Executives at Feld Entertainment, parent company of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus announced that it will end its use of elephants from its performances by 2018, bowing to growing public concern about treatment of the animals.

‘There’s been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers,’ said Alana Feld, an executive vice president. ‘A lot of people aren’t comfortable with us touring with our elephants.In total Feld owns 43 elephants, with 29 living at the company’s 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Central Florida. Thirteen animals will continue to tour with Ringling before retiring in 2018. The company reports that one elephant has been loaned to the Fort Worth Zoo as part of their breeding program.

In addition to consumer protests and the protests of activist groups like PETA, local government in America’s cities and counties have passed ‘anti-circus’ and ‘anti-elephant’ ordinances. Ringling tours 115 cities in America and found it too expensive to fight legislation and changing regulations as rules protecting elephants grew nationwide.

While seeming to acknowledge consumer pressure, Feld simultaneously denied it, saying ‘We’re not reacting to our critics; we’re creating the greatest resource for preservation of the Asian elephant.’

Ringling will continue to use other animals, although emphasis will most likely shift to an emphasis on sports stunts, daredevils and amazing feats of human physical capabilities similar to its very popular competitor Cieque du Soleil, which does not use wild animals.

Note that the Feld company hasn’t lost all of its lawsuits around alleged elephant abuse. The NYTimes reports that in 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from several animal-rights groups including the Humane Society of the United States.

Duke of Cambridge Embarrassed in China

Prince Williams continued his calls for an end to elephant poaching and the promotion of elephant conservation on this week’s trip to China.The Duke of Cambridge is the first high-ranking royal to visit China in 30 years.

On Monday the Duke met with President Xi Jinping one week after China’s historic decision to ban ivory imports for one year. China is the world’s largest importer of illegal ivory, with the US in second position.

Elephant activists and conservationist greeted the news of the one-year ban with applause and a reminder that because there is no ban on the ivory trade within the country, the black market will continue. It’s said that China has become very sensitive about the incriminating accusations against the country as the main protagonist in the slaughter and pending extinction of African elephants.