Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, announced in a statement today that the 11 remaining elephants would be retiring a year and a half early.
The company initially announced that they would be retiring the elephants by 2018, but the process has moved forward much faster.
The elephants will be moving to the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.
"The elephants' move to Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation will allow the company to focus on its Asian elephant conservation program and the pediatric cancer research partnership with Dr. Joshua Schiffman of Primary Children's Hospital and The Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah," the statement said.
The announcement is in part due to criticism of the treatment of elephants in circus acts. PETA, a long time critic of the circus, said in a blog post that "The elephants should be taken to legitimate sanctuaries, and all the animal acts should come to an end."
"Our company and our family's commitment to save the majestic Asian elephant will continue through our breeding program, research and conservation efforts at the center," said Alana Feld, Ringling Bros. producer and executive vice president with Feld Entertainment. "This transition will also allow us to fully focus on the role our elephants have in the pioneering pediatric cancer research project with Dr. Schiffman."
The elephants' retirement brings the total number of elephants at the conservation site to 42.
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