THE END OF RINGLING BROTHERS CIRCUS?: Say it ain’t so. Appears animal rights activists bear part of the blame.
After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May.
The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.
The animal rights extremists forced Ringling Brothers to get rid of its elephants.
In May of 2016, after a long and costly legal battle, the company removed the elephants from the shows and sent the animals to live on a conservation farm in Central Florida. The animals had been the symbol of the circus since Barnum brought an Asian elephant named Jumbo to America in 1882. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from groups including the Humane Society of the United States, ending a 14-year fight over allegations that circus employees mistreated elephants.
The animal rights bullies helped put some of the more talented people on the planet out of a job — I mean Ringling Brothers clowns and acrobats.
Some 500 people perform and work on both touring shows. A handful will be placed in positions with the company’s other, profitable shows – it owns Monster Jam, Disney on Ice and Marvel Live, among other things – but most will be out of a job. Juliette Feld said the company will help employees with job placement and resumes. In some cases where a circus employee lives on the tour rail car (the circus travels by train), the company will also help with housing relocation.
Too late to push back?