zombola
03-05-2015, 02:08 PM
http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20150305&t=2&i=1029823615&w=580&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=LYNXMPEB240LR
(Reuters) - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus plans to eliminate its elephant acts by 2018 amid public outcry over animal rights, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Feld Entertainment, the circus' parent company, said the animals will live at the company's 200-acre (81 hectares) Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida, the report said.
A spokeswoman for Feld Entertainment did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Feld executives told the AP they were not reacting to their critics but acknowledged many consumers were no longer comfortable with the circus touring with elephants. Also, some cities have passed ordinances against their use.
The animals have been part of the circus' shows for a century. The circus still plans to showcase other animals, the company said in the report.
The AP said Feld owns the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Frank McGurty
(Reuters) - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus plans to eliminate its elephant acts by 2018 amid public outcry over animal rights, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Feld Entertainment, the circus' parent company, said the animals will live at the company's 200-acre (81 hectares) Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida, the report said.
A spokeswoman for Feld Entertainment did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Feld executives told the AP they were not reacting to their critics but acknowledged many consumers were no longer comfortable with the circus touring with elephants. Also, some cities have passed ordinances against their use.
The animals have been part of the circus' shows for a century. The circus still plans to showcase other animals, the company said in the report.
The AP said Feld owns the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Frank McGurty