After nearly 145 years of performance and bringing awe to its audience, The Ringling Brothers circus recently decided to retire their Asian elephant performers and put them into a conservation center by the year 2018 (Bittel). The company, however; made a surprising decision when they announced that they would be retiring their elephants two years earlier than expected--this past May. Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Brothers, told The Associated Press in an interview that they would be sending their eleven Asian elephants to a 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida that is owned by the company.
The decision was made after concerns over animal abuse and because of the very expensive cost of $65,000 to care for each elephant per year.

Any amusement parks or performance groups should consider following in the Ringling Brothers steps.

Why, you say? Within these performance acts, these poor, hopeless elephants have been stripped from their mothers, beaten with bullhooks, and brutally punished for minor “misbehaviors”. These infants are not living their life the way it's meant to be lived (PETA).

These majestic and intelligent creatures belong in the wild where they can roam free and stay with their families.
The bond between these animals are almost unbreakable. Females go their whole lives without ever leaving their mother’s sight (PETA). However, when amusement parks and circus acts such as Ringling Brothers own elephants, it is never the elephant’s choice to leave their family and live a life of complete misery.

These parks and performance groups force the child away from their mother and they are then gouged and beaten with bullhooks, and struck with electrical prods. These hopeless, and innocent baby animals scream in agony while they are forced and stretched into the most painful positions to help train and “ease” them into the circus tricks that they are forced to do.

The Ringling Brothers, however; did the right choice in deciding to retire their elephants. Many might ask “Won’t the disappearance of these believed creatures ruin this massive business?” Not at all. Because the company made this decision and the right move, they listened to the consumers and have gained most of the trust back. There are, however, still protests and many animal rights groups who want not just the elephants freed, but all seventy-seven animals that are a part of these circus acts. Your move again, Ringling.

The one downside of Ringling Brothers decision to retire their elephants, is the conservation center they are sending them to. This conservation center is owned by Feld Entertainment, which means that the care-taking of the elephants will have some influences of the cruelty that they faced while in the circus. They will still be contained, still be forced to breed and still not provided with the care they really and truly need. The Ringling Brothers need to make a further effort and send the Asian elephants to a proper and more legitimate conservation center in Asia.

Any performance groups that use elephants for acts and shows should consider doing the same and retire their elephants to a more stable and loving area. These poor, majestic and mesmerizing creatures have been a target for these uncivilized performance group companies and are now even expected to be extinct by the year 2020. We have to help preserve these animals in any way that is humanly possible.