Last
March, when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that it
would be retiring its elephants from their long-suffering and demeaning
performances, it was a potential game-changer in the movement to end captive
exploitation of wild animals for human entertainment. Marking the end of such
an enduring institution was momentous for the 11 elephants who currently tour
with the circus (which has seen 12 elephants die in the last 10 years alone),
and also for shifting public opinion about the use of animals for
entertainment.
However,
Ringling's announcement postponed the date of retirement until 2018... Month
after month; year after year; unnaturally clinging to a deprived life.
Now,
the surprise January gift: Ringling has announced that it will end its elephant
show in March 2016, a full year and a half ahead of schedule.
Ringling's
parent company, Feld Entertainment, attributes this move to unexpectedly quick
completion of the elephants' new enclosures. However, a look at the bigger
picture suggests that it was probably equally motivated by public attitudes
that are very quickly turning against the mistreatment of these intelligent
animals. As we have seen with SeaWorld following the release of the 2013 film
Blackfish, opposition to animal suffering can snowball into an outcry that
could sink a company. Such effective public mobilization was surely a key
factor in finally getting through to Ringling and motivating the company to
phase out its "iconic" elephant show.
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