The Ringling Bros. Circus has been around for more than 130 years, but things are getting harder for circuses in an era when increasing numbers of people are concerned with animal rights.
That fact was evident when the Circus decided to stop using its iconic performing elephants last year (hopefully they're enjoying Florida), and there's more evidence now as a new bill works its way through the New York City Council.
TheNew York Daily News reports that the bill calls for an outright ban on any exotic animals (including elephants, tigers, lions, and monkeys) being used as entertainment anywhere in the city, effectively banning the Ringling Brothers Circus—or any circus that uses the animals—from ever returning to NYC. The bill is reportedly being backed by the same animal rights group that was pushing for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus currently has 19 performances scheduled at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn throughout February and March of 2017.
That effort to ban carriages failed, but the Daily News notes that the circus has less of a tradition in New York and may have less support. The report says that so far, nine city council members out of the city's 51 have expressed support for the ban.
There is, perhaps, another option for circuses: stop using animal performers altogether. However, that would mean they'd have to rely a lot more heavily on clowns, and given the current clown climate in America right now, that might not work out too great either.
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