The original traveling entertainment show, and perhaps the forerunner to every great theme park of today, is closing down.
The owner of "The Greatest Show On Earth" - The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - announced it is shuttering the iconic circus and will break down the Big Top after 146 years of performances in May.
Ringling Bros. has been under heavy criticism for years from animal rights groups, particularly PETA, for its alleged treatment of the stars of its shows, the elephants, and other animals.
Feld Entertainment, which purchased the circus from the Ringling family in 1967, paid a $270,000 fine to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for violating the Animal Welfare Act, although it admmitted no wrongdoing. In 2015, it announced it would completely phase out the elephants from the show by 2018.
Kenneth Feld, owner of Feld Entertainment, acknowledged that the loss of the elephants played a major role in his decision.
"After much evaluation and deliberation, my family and I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will hold its final performances in May of this year," he said in a statement. "Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop. This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company."
Reaction was swift, with animal rights groups claiming victory.
"Thank you to everyone who has picked up a protest sign, passed out leaflets, written letters, shared videos, called legislators, spoken to family, and been part of this relentless pursuit of freedom for animals. This would not have happened without you," PETA said in a statement.
"It's just not acceptable any longer to cart wild animals from city to city and have them perform silly yet coercive stunts," Humane Society President and CEO Wayne Pacelle said in a statement. "I know this is bittersweet for the Feld family, but I applaud their decision to move away from an institution grounded on inherently inhumane wild animal acts."
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Nonetheless, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus had been an institution in the U.S., and some are sad to see it shutter.
"The circus and its people have continually been a source of inspiration and joy to my family and me, which is why this was such a tough business decision to make," Feld said. "The decision was even more difficult because of the amazing fans that have become part of our extended circus family over the years, and we are extremely grateful to the millions of families who have made Ringling Bros. part of their lives for generations. We know Ringling Bros. isn't only our family business, but also your family tradition."
Ringling Bros. has two traveling shows currently. 'Circus EXTREME' will conclude its tour at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on May 7, 2017, and 'Out Of This World' will conclude its tour at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on May 21, 2017.
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