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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

The last days of the Ringling Bros. circus

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

An elephant stretches its trunk through a window to soothe a sick child. A woman gives birth and three months later is back performing on the high wire. A handler of big cats weeps as the beasts lope out of the ring for the last time. These stories could come only from circus performers, and in particular one famous circus, the one immortalized as “The Greatest Show on Earth”: the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which is hanging…

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Ringling Bros. Circus performs last Orlando show

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They stood 10 deep in lines to buy tickets to witness the end of an era at the last Orlando performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Many said they changed their plans on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and headed to the Amway Center after hearing that the circus was ending its 146-year run. Ringling’s demise was blamed on declining ticket sales, high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal…

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Love it or hate it, people have opinions on the circus

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Reaction to news that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was closing after 146 years – from saddened celebrities to elated animal rights advocates – flew as fast as a flying trapeze. Feld Entertainment, owner of the iconic circus, broke the news to circus employees Saturday night that the show would close permanently in May. The reasons cited for the closure were falling ticket sales, high operating costs, changing public tastes in entertainment – and prolonged battles with…

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Nowhere left to run away to: The final days of the circus

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Goodbye to death-defying feats — daring young men (and women) on the flying trapeze, whip-wielding lion tamers, human cannonballs. Goodbye to the scent of peanuts and popcorn, the thrill of three rings, the jaunty bum-bum-dadadada of circus music. Send out the clowns. The Big Top is coming down — for good. On Saturday, officials of the company that owns the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that it will close in May, ending a 146-year run that dates…

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Ringling circus elephants to retire in May

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The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is ending its elephant acts a year and a half early, and will retire all of its touring elephants in May. The circus’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, told The Associated Press exclusively that all of the iconic elephants will be permanently retired to the company’s 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida. There are 11 elephants on tour with the circus. “They’ll be joining the rest of the herd,” said Alana…

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