After 146 Years, Ringling Brothers Circus Takes Its Final Bow

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Times

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The lights went up on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus on Sunday evening to reveal 14 lions and tigers sitting in a circle, surrounding a man in a sparkling suit. It was a sight too implausible to seem real yet such an iconic piece of Americana that it was impossible to believe the show would not go on.

After 146 years, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey is closing for good, responding to a prolonged slump in ticket sales that has rendered the business unsustainable, according to its operator, Feld Entertainment. On Sunday, the circus glittered, thundered and awed beneath the booms and klieg lights of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. That there was no tent over the final show, no striped eaves from which the daring young man on the flying trapeze could hang, felt fitting. The big top was packed up, this time forever.

Autumn Luciano stood outside, ticket in hand. “It feels a little like a funeral today, but I’m trying not to mourn it in a sad way,” said Ms. Luciano, 33, a pinup photographer who had flown in from Lansing, Mich., to see the last show. “Circus is all about being happy.”

She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a circus tent on her wrist. Without circuses, “we lose the ability to go and see that humans can do anything,” she said. “You go to the circus and see human beings doing insane things, but the truth is, we all have the ability to do crazy things.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/nyregion/ringling-brothers-circus-takes-final-bow.html

[JI7]

1. good

[7962]

2. If they would have stopped using animals, they may have been able to continue

People no longer look at these animals like they did 50 yrs ago

[obamanut2012]

3. Way past time -- good

[demmiblue]

4. Good. n/t

[obamanut2012]

5. There is Cirque du Soleil -- they could have went that route

Just not as fancy. They still could have kept the acts, and the *shiver* clowns, and not used animals, like CdS. But no. Lots of cool shows and acts that don't abuse animals like that.

They should have learned from what happened with Sea World.

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Sea World is still standing, for now...

Probably not much longer though.

Ringling/Co couldn't figure out how to build a circus out of people you have to pay, rather than animals you can just do whatever you want with.

Cirque/Teatro Zinzanni, etc figured it out. No great loss for Ringling bros.

[hlthe2b]

6. I am relieved for the animals, yet, it still gives me pause-childhood memories before I realized...

As I came to understand what went into the animal acts, I was horrified and very intent on seeing this end. But, to be honest, it is with mixed emotions. I had fond memories of going with my parents and the emotions are very tied up in loss.

[IronLionZion]

12. Trapeze is pretty cool, tightrope walkers, jugglers, acrobats, etc.

the animal stuff was pretty terrible. I used to like watching the circus decades ago when I was too young to know any better. Here in DC there were activists lobbying congress to regulate the use of animals in performances and showed videos to the public on the street of Ringling beating their animals. I didn't believe it until I saw it. Apparently elephants have long memories of who treats them well vs the abusers.

[Bayard]

16. Same here

My dad took us several times. VERY exciting! I was a kid, I had no idea of what was going on behind the scenes. But since we were a poor family, going was a huge thing. What stuck with me the most, 50 years later, was the oriental girl being suspended by her long hair high in the air, and spinning.

I'm betting a lot of these animals end up in zoos.

[joshdawg]

7. It's about time that this abusing of animals has come to an end. FINALLY!

[Judi Lynn]

18. Not a moment too soon. n/t

[underpants]

8. The ticket prices were absurd too

I checked into it when they were in town. My daughter had never been to a circus - turns out she had no interest anyway. 3 shows per day. For the Saturday matinee show the good seats (lower level) were $75-$90 per seat.

[joeybee12]

9. Good. Animal cruelty in the name of entertainment. Knr

[Calista241]

10. Finally. I hope they'll send their animals to true sanctuaries.

And not more puppy mill like operations.

[Neema]

11. I read that some will go to sanctuaries and some will

go to European circuses. I guess some of them will get a chance, unless the sanctuaries suck.

[lastlib]

13. They couldn't compete with the GOPee......

...and the clown car with the oval wheels....just guessing.

[Ray Bruns]

14. I have never liked the circus.

Mind you, I am not really an animal person. But I grew up watching men walk on the moon. After that, my sights were on the stars.

I have been to the circus three times and I was bored out of my mind all three.

Autumn Luciano stated that "without circuses, we lose the ability to go and see that humans can do anything".
I disagree. I think we can do that and not needlessly torture animals.

[EarthFirst]

15. See ya!

Hopefully those creatures end up places in sanctuary facilities and not sold off to exotic collectors or zoos in countries incapable of handling them...