- Parent
company Feld Entertainment bows to animal rights pressure
- ‘There’s
been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers’
The Guardian, Amanda Holpuch in New York, Thursday 5 March 2015
In place of
the elephants, the company said it will feature more things
like daredevil acts
and motor sports.
Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus is putting an end to its elephant performances, the company announced on Thursday.
Feld
Entertainment, the production company that owns the circus, said the company
will phase out elephants from its shows by 2018. The announcement follows years
of aggressive campaigning by animal rights groups opposed to the use of
elephants in circus performances.
Company CEO
and chairman Kenneth Feld said in a statement that it “was not an easy
decision” to stop including elephants in performances. But executives
acknowledged that the public has become increasingly wary about animals being
used in its shows.
“There’s
been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers,” Alana Feld, Feld’s
executive vice-president, told the AP. “A lot of people aren’t comfortable with
us touring with our elephants.”
There are
currently 13 elephants on tour with three of Ringling Bros’ circus units. In
the next three years, they will join the more than 40 elephants that live at
the Ringling Bros Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida, including a
six-year-old named Barack.
In place of
the elephants, the company said it will feature more things like daredevil acts
and motor sports. Its shows will continue to include tigers, horses, lions,
dogs and camels.
Animal
rights groups have long targeted the company’s use of elephants and other
animals in its shows. In November 2011, the company agreed to pay the
Department of Agriculture a $270,000 fine for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act.
Cities and
counties across the US have also passed laws that prohibit such performances
from occurring within their boundaries. Los Angeles and Oakland passed laws last year that prohibit the use of bullhooks on elephants, which Ringling Bros
said prevented the company from hosting shows there. Kenneth Feld told the AP
that fighting this type of legislation is costly and planning tours with
constantly changing regulations is a challenge for the company.
People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has been campaigning for the circus to
stop using elephants for decades. “If Ringling is telling the truth about ending
this horror, then it’s a day to pop the champagne corks and rejoice,” Peta said in a blog post.
The
organization, however, called for Ringling Bros to immediately end the practice
of using elephants in its shows.
Feld, which
owns the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America, has always insisted
that animal welfare is its priority. And in May 2014, the Humane Society of the
United States and other animal welfare groups were ordered to pay the company a
$15.75m settlement because of allegations they made against the company, but
were unable to prove.
“No other
institution has done or is doing more to save this species from extinction, and
that is something of which I and my family are extremely proud,” Kenneth Feld said in a statement. “This decision was not easy, but it is in the best
interest of our company, our elephants and our customers.”
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