The curtains came down on the "Greatest Show on Earth" after an almost 150-year-long run on Sunday. A space-themed balancing act kicked off the farewell performance as clowns, acrobats, animals, performers and staff of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus took their final bow at an arena outside New York on Sunday.
Capping a legacy that stretches back to 19th century showman PT Barnum, the circus bid farewell at a series of shows this weekend at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale on New York's Long Island.
The Final Show
“It’s incredibly heartwarming to see all of you that have come out for the final performance. It’s the people, it’s the spirit, the dedication, the perseverance of everyone that you’ll see here tonight that makes the impossible possible,” said chairman and chief executive of parent Feld Entertainment Inc, Kenneth Feld.
Spacesuited tightrope walkers, Laszlo Simet, and his wife, Olga, launched the final show on a revolving wedge-shaped wheel. The show was sold out and streamed on the Ringling website.
Feld said that over 250 million people had seen Ringling’s shows since its inception 146 years ago.
Over the years, The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has fiercely criticised the circus’ use of animals for their performance. However, the show has long defended its treatment of animals as humane. Ringling Bros continued to showcase tigers, lions, horses, dogs and camels until the end. "Our audiences today loved seeing horses, dogs and two very talented 700-pound (317-kg) pigs," Feld spokesman Stephen Payne said on Sunday.
Elephant-sized Problems
The finale, announced by Feld in January, came a year after the company bowed to pressure from animal rights activists and agreed to stop using elephants in its performances. A featured attraction for more than a century, the elephants had come to symbolise the Ringling Bros brand.
Feld decided to fold its tent as a result of high operating costs combined with lower ticket sales, it said in a statement at the time. After phasing out the elephants, the owner said, the decline in attendance was "greater than could have been anticipated."
The 13 Asian elephants used in Ringling's two touring companies were retired to the company's 200-acre (80-hectare) Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Florida. Fewer than 40,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. About 250 are in captivity in the United States, 26 of which were born in the past 20 years at Ringling facilities.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Video Editor: Mohd. Ibrahim
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)