Target: Kenneth Feld, CEO of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Goal: Praise Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for retiring their elephants two years ahead of schedule.
In 2015, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced the joyful news that they would be retiring all of their performing elephants in 2018. This success was due to public outcry, the hard work of animal activists and petitions like the ones on ForceChange. However, even better news has arrived. Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, announced that they would be retiring their elephants even earlier than planned. By May 2016, all of Ringling’s elephants will be retired.
These elephants will be moved to the Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida, where they will no longer be forced to perform unnatural tricks in front of loud, jeering crowds. This is a huge step forward for animals stuck in the entertainment industry.
Sign this letter and thank the CEO of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for bringing happiness to these animals’ lives sooner rather than later.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Feld,
I was very pleased when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced in 2015 that they would be retiring all of their elephants in 2018. However, when I learned that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus decided to retire all their elephants two years earlier than planned, I was ecstatic.
Elephants should not be forced to perform unnatural tricks in front of large, loud, jeering crowds. This is a huge step for animals stuck in the entertainment industry, and I am hoping more circuses follow in your footsteps.
Thank you for recognizing these highly intelligent and social animals. They deserve a better life, a life where they can live in an environment similar to their natural habitat. I commend you for this decision and I hope you continue to take your animals’ welfare into consideration in the future.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Elise Amendola
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