Ringling to stop touring with elephants
ADI calls on circus to extend concern to all wild animals
Following the announcement from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that they will phase out elephants from their shows, ADI is calling on Ringlings to extend their concern to all wild animals in traveling circuses and for other circuses in the US to follow suit.
Jan Creamer, ADI President, said: “After decades of exposing the suffering of animals in circuses behind the scenes, ADI is very pleased to hear this announcement from Ringling Bros., and we encourage other circuses to move to animal-free shows. The evidence is clear that in the circumstances of a traveling show, it is not possible to provide these animals with the environment and facilities they need to maintain health and well-being. The public is increasingly educated about the needs of other species and does not like to see them suffer for a few minutes of entertainment.”
Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, announced that 13 performing elephants will be off the road by 2018.
Highlighting the changing attitudes towards the use of elephants and other wild animals in traveling circuses in the US, Alana Feld, executive vice president of Ringling Bros told the Associated Press “There’s been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers… A lot of people aren’t comfortable with us touring with our elephants.”
President Kenneth Feld also stated how ordinances restricting traveling circuses using wild animals had made it difficult to plan tours. ADI has been instrumental in securing many of the local restrictions which are now in place in 49 cities/counties and 22 states. Internationally, national restrictions on performing animals in traveling circuses, either wild or all animals, have been enacted in 30 countries.
ADI has criticized Ringlings for its use of bullhooks, prods and shackles in violation of Federal Law. In November 2011, the circus settled a USDA action that resulted in a fine of $270,000 for mishandling animals, the largest civil imposed penalty ever issued to a circus by the USDA.
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This should be history!
Stop all entertainment with wild animals involved. Enough is enough.
STOP au Cirque avec animaux ! Merci pour Eux.
Its about time. They need to set free the other animals, too.
Stop using animals for amusement !!
ADI is doing great work, and we need finish the job, ending wild animal circuses! 2018 is way too long for the elephants to wait, and the Big Cats need to be next to go! Example of the change in mood on the circus: at our Nassau Coliseum protest of Ringling Bros on the night before their big announcement 3/5/15 we had nearly 100 protesters-up from 30 or so in 2014, and just 6 in 2012. Circus attendance looked way down too. Let’s keep the pressure on high.
Mes saints frères et soeurs d autres espèces sont toute ma vie.VIVE LA CAUSE.
End the use of all animals! Do the right thing!
It is clear, it is time to stop the use of elephants in traveling circuses and other wildlife as well. They should be left alone in their natural habitats, however, there, the elephants are at high risk for kill and poaching. Humans should be put in a circus and made to sit and stand with hats on their head while their handlers are prodding and poking them to act.
give these exotic animals a good life not the circus.
STOP the ABUSE, CRUELTY AGAINST INNOCENT ANIMALS !!!!!!
Animals don’t have a Voice, we are their VOICES ,!!!!!!! STOP the CRUELTY and ABUSE of Innocent Animals !!!!