The Ringling Brothers Circus is coming back, but they’ve made a lot of changes, first and foremost, there are no longer any animals in the show!
The first to go were the elephants. Ringling Brothers started phasing them out in 2016, and by 2018 they were no more. Now say goodbye to the lions, tigers and horses as well. The Greatest Show on Earth first began performing shows in 1871, but when it returns in 2023 only humans will be performing in the rings.
After years of complaints from animal rights activists about the treatment of the elephants and the other animals in the circus, Ringling Brothers made the announcement that when they begin touring again there will not be any animals in their shows.
As an animal lover I did often feel bad for the animals who were forced to perform tricks and stunts on a daily basis, but there’s no doubt the circus will not be the same without them. For many people it is their only opportunity to see these magnificent animals live and in person.
Kenneth Feld, the CEO of Feld Entertainment which owns the circus says, “Ringling has always evolved: Logically, in order to be successful for 146 years, you constantly have to change. It has been through every economic upturn and downturn that we’ve had. It’s been through two pandemics now; it always adapted.”
Yesterday they announced the first show on a tour of 50 cities will be on September 28, 2023.
Source: New York Times
Photo: Getty Images