Ringling Bros. Circus plans to stop using elephants by May 2016

In May, 11 elephants touring with The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will retire, permanently ending the 145-year-old circus’ iconic elephant show.

The move would bring to 40 the number of elephants at the center, the company said.

“When we announced past year that we would retire the elephants by 2018, we basically drew a line in the sand then started to work backwards”, said Stephen Payne, vice president of corporate communication for Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus. It costs about $65,000 yearly to care for each elephant, and the company had to build new structures to house the retiring elephants at the center, located in between Orlando and Tampa. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won a multi-million settlement against a collection of animal-rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, over unproven allegations that the circus was mistreating elephants.

Payne said circus producers are adding new elements to shows that will debut this summer without the circus’ largest performers. While the organization has previously held the opinion that elephants are vital to the success of a circus, the superstar Cirque Du Soleil has proven this idea to be false.

Feld says many cities have passed “anti elephant” ordinances, making it hard to plan tours.

Last year, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announced they would no longer be using elephants in its shows by 2018.

Adam Roberts, chief executive of Born Free USA, said the decision showed that the public no longer accepts performances by wild animals.

There are 11 Asian elephants touring the country, as of January. Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. “We’re looking at a lot of new ways of doing things”. Over the past few years, Ringling Bros. has faced an increasing backlash against its decision to continue to use elephants in its circuses.

Whistleblowers such as former Ringling Bros. trainer, Sam Haddock have also come forward, detailing the deprivation, pain, and negative reinforcement used to train baby elephants, who are often taken from their mothers as early as 18 to 22 months of age.