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The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.
"There isn't any one thing," said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. "This has been a very difficult decision for me and for the entire family."
The company broke the news to circus employees Saturday night after shows in Orlando and Miami.
I think this is a huge mistake.
Even if they need to shut down, they should have announced that next year is the final and farewell tour. People would come out of the woodwork to see this iconic event one final time when it came to town.
Instead they make a unexpected last minute announcement with no time for people to come out and see them.
They should rethink it to at least capitalize on the nostalgia and the likely crowds that will want to take their kids or grand kids to one final show.
All the "animal rights" movements and rhetoric notwithstanding, and I am not saying they're wrong, the issue for me is that yet another American institution is disappearing and at age 70, I find that unfortunate and saddening. I saw the circus perform in, I believe, Madison Square Gardens sometime around 1950 or '51. Being very young I was thrilled. I'm disappointed that today's youth are more consumed with electronic media than with such events. They know not what they're missing.
I know. I love the clowns but regardless of electronics, we see death defying stunts many places. Turn on the X-Games, Discovery (Nick Walinda), Monster Jam on FS1, YouTube, etc. all show stunts that the circus use to in some way. The circus didn't stay cutting edge on top of their issues with animal rights.
With all the animal rights comments, I'm wondering what would have happened had Ringling Bros tried using "The Living Unicorn" today.
I guess I am in the minority here because I am saddened by the news.
The Looney Tunes images of a lion tamer with a stool in one hand and the whip in another has not been part of circuses for a long time. Ringling Brothers has been under a microscope for a long time and I know for a fact that their animals had proper medical care and diet. They were not yelled at or trained with prods or whatever in many years. In order to reverse bad public opinion B&B Ringling Brothes have financially supported conservation overseas and did have research/internships in vet care/animal behavior, etc. However, the transport, the logistics of using animals in shows like a circus is very stressful for the animal and even circus officials are aware of this, no matter how careful the handlers are. Sometimes, the animals also got hurt accidentally and putting them in that situation, just for the sake of entertainment is not moral. It's just unethical and in this day and age, we know better. We have come a long way since Thomas Edison had an elephant electrocuted in Coney Island as entertainment in order to prove how powerful electricity is.
They did/do have a dog act. The usual stuff with dogs leaping in the air to catch frisbees. I don't know if this is good for the dogs or not. Wild animals, have no place in a show, whether it's the circus or Las Vegas.
The problem is that elephant sanctuaries are also not ideal for elephants who would normally migrate many miles seasonally. None of these big wild animals living in an American sanctuary is really living a charmed life.
I loved the B&B circus because they had the 3 ring act with so much going on at once. I would be entertained with just human entertainers in this type of setting. Cirque Du Soleil and their canned music never appealed to me. The Big Apple circus started out advertising that they do not have any animals, but over the years they did add a dog act and a horse act. I don't know if the horses for circus acrobatic acts, as well as horses and cattle for traveling rodeos are also stressed by the way they are transported. I would assume so.
I would be happy going to Barnum and Bailey with only human entertainment. They had plenty of human tricks. Also, by me, at least, the tickets were very reasonable. With a coupon and going on a weeknight and sitting a little higher, they are under $25, more than a movie, but cheaper than most live entertainment in my area. We never bought any overpriced food, programs, or toys. And we took public transportation. A cheap day out.
I think this is a huge mistake.
Even if they need to shut down, they should have announced that next year is the final and farewell tour. People would come out of the woodwork to see this iconic event one final time when it came to town.
Instead they make a unexpected last minute announcement with no time for people to come out and see them.
They should rethink it to at least capitalize on the nostalgia and the likely crowds that will want to take their kids or grand kids to one final show.
I know what you mean. Mom took me to the circus when I was quite young, and I enjoyed it a great deal--the trapeze artists, the dogs, the band. I got to eat cotton candy, too!
When my son was young, mom wanted to take him to the circus and wanted me to join them in case there were any problems. It was a memorable afternoon. As it turned out, my son actually liked clowns. Go figure.
My kids' friends went to the circus, but I just couldn't do it, & they grew up fine & didn't feel deprived.
BTW, I dislike Seaworld for same reason... would LOVE for them to go belly-up!
Not really. Based on all the scientific evidence we have regarding elephant behavior, given their emotional connection to their herd and family bonds, they would likely choose living in the wild with those other elephants, even with the risk of attack and death by other animals.
These are Asian Elephants born and raised by Ringling Bros.
I think this is a huge mistake.
Even if they need to shut down, they should have announced that next year is the final and farewell tour. People would come out of the woodwork to see this iconic event one final time when it came to town.
Instead they make a unexpected last minute announcement with no time for people to come out and see them.
They should rethink it to at least capitalize on the nostalgia and the likely crowds that will want to take their kids or grand kids to one final show.
Given the enterprise's long history and recognition, it wouldn't suprise me to see it reincarnated, with some "reforms" along the lines of Cirque du Soleil, and with with a more-flexible itinerary and logistics, after the uproar and legal folderol die down a few years from now.
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