Animal cruelty laws prompt Ringling Bros. to end elephant acts

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All circus elephants will retire.
(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

All the touring elephants in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will be retired by May — an entire year and a half earlier than planned — The Associated Press reports. The 11 elephants who tour with the circus will be permanently relocated to the Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.

Many cities and states have passed anti-elephant ordinances due to concerns about animal cruelty. Because of the widespread "anti-circus" laws, it had become hard to organize the circuses, according to Feld Entertainment CEO Kenneth Feld. The circuses originally planned to phase elephants out by 2018.

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Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.