DEBBIE-DABBLE BLOG: Final Curtain Call for The Elephants of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus!!

Every year, Ringling Bros. Barnum &Bailey Circus comes to town!!

They put on 6 shows over a weekend at the Arena just a few minutes away from our home......

When the Arena was first built, we went to the Circus several times but what we most enjoyed was seeing the Elephants and other Circus animals walk up the road around a near by Mall ( again 5 minutes from our home) to the Arena.

They came into town by Train and the train station was a few miles away so they had to walk them where they would perform for 5 days!! People would come out in droves to see this amazing spectacle!!

Due to pressure from Animal Rights Groups, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus are retiring the Elephants, which have been part of the Circus for the last 145 years, to the Center For Elephant Conservation.

Here is a statement on the CEC's web site:

"On Sunday, May 1 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Asian elephants currently on traveling circus units will perform in their last-ever shows in Providence, RI and Wilkes Barre, PA. After these final performances, all 11 pachyderms will travel south to join the rest of the Ringling Bros. herd of 29 elephants at the Feld Family’s Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC), a 200-acre facility in central Florida dedicated to the care and conservation of these critically endangered animals, and home to the largest Asian elephant herd in the Western Hemisphere.
Our lifetime commitment to caring for these amazing animals is unwavering. At the CEC, our team of dedicated biologists, researchers and elephants caretakers will welcome the rest of the herd with open arms and a horizon full of new opportunities as we strive toward a world with more elephants and less cancer. This means continued focus on our breeding program, conservation and research efforts, especially through the special role these animals have in the pioneering pediatric cancer research project with Dr. Schiffman of Primary Children’s Hospital and The Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah.
As for our beloved elephants, their transition to the CEC is going to be a bunch of old friends reunited; handlers with the elephants, elephants with other elephants. They will spend their days socializing, roaming the pastures of the vast facility, all while receiving the highest level of care from our animal care team.
“We share a lifetime commitment to all of our elephants,” said Janice Aria, Director of Animal Stewardship at the CEC. “From the time that they’re born to the time they pass away, we value them as the incredible animals that they are. The future of this species is in great hands.”

If you would like to visit the web site for The Center of Elephant Conservation, please click HERE

As stated above, the shows here, where I live, are the final performances of these magnificent creatures with their last show being on Sunday, May 1st.

I wanted to see the Elephants one last time so would you please join me as we experience Circus Extreme and one of the Elephants last performances.......

One hour before each show is for visitors to the Circus to go down and be up close and personal with the performers and animals......

People love this!!

The biggest attraction was one of the baby elephants.....

We were allowed to take photos as long as a flash was not used.....

The Ring Master.....

Singing of the National Anthem with one of the elephants holding the Flag!

I do apologize for the quality of the photos but there was a lot of bright lights and I had to zoom in a lot.......

The Opening Festivities....

Parade of Performers......

In this post, I will share the first half of the Circus, before the intermission......

The Camels.....

Tight Rope Walkers

They were twirling flags in this photo!!

They even shot a woman out of a canon!!

Introduction to the Elephants......

And Now, one of the Final Performances of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Elephants!!

Playing Ball!

And off they go..........

Into retirement..... I am So Jealous!!!

The people applauded and cheered for the Elephants who seemed to be thrilled by all of it and I could not help but wonder if they will miss all of this!!

A Dance Number before the Intermission......

I hope you enjoyed seeing the first half of the Circus!

Joe and I really enjoyed the Show and it was just what I needed after a truly horrible week at work!!

In my next post, I will share the Second half featuring the Tigers!!

Click HERE to visit the Official Web Site for Circus Extreme and watch the Promo Video for the Show!!

I hope you will come by and visit again!!

And thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......

Hugs,
Debbie