Capping a legacy that stretches back to the legendary 19th century showman P.T. Barnum, the circus bids farewell at a series of shows this weekend at newly refurbished Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on New York’s Long Island. A worldwide audience will watch the last show on Sunday evening via a live stream on the Ringling website.
The finale, announced by parent Feld Entertainment Inc in January, comes a year after the company bowed to pressure from animal rights activists and agreed to stop using elephants in its performances. A featured attraction for more than a century, the elephants had come to symbolize the Ringling Bros brand.
Feld decided to fold up the tent as a result of high operating costs combined with lower ticket sales, it said in a statement at the time. After phasing out the elephants, the owner said, the decline in attendance was “greater than could have been anticipated.”
Their final show begins at 7pm Eastern. And then it ends.
NEXT: All commercial use of elephants will be stopped in southeast asia ! Oh, yeah, poor people who harness the power of elephants to help them make a living … don’t give a stih about PETA.
Yes. It is only right and proper that young children look at elephants the same way they do at purple singing dinosaurs (something that is only seen on TV, so something they can’t be sure is real). Out of sight, out of mind.
Grew up in Africa. The only elephants I ever saw were in the wild. So I am not certain this news is a bad thing.
And before anyone jumps on me, I eat steak and I vote conservative!