After 146 years of performing, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is on tour for the very last time. The circus has had declining ticket sales, as well as prolonged battles with animal rights groups. These factors, along with high operating costs, made the circus unsustainable.   

 Five sons of German immigrant, August Frederick Rungeling, decided to start their own backyard circus after watching a circus unload from a steamboat at the McGregor, Iowa, docks. Albert, Otto, Alfred, Charles, and John the original “Ringling Brothers” had their first performance together on November 27, 1882, in Mazomanie. In a vaudeville-style show, two brothers danced, two played instruments, and one sang. After James A. Bailey’s died in 1906, the Ringling Bros. bought the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907. This led to them becoming the leading circus in the country.

  One of the main reasons the Ringling Bros. circus is coming to an end is the many activists targeting the company. These activists believe forcing animals to perform is cruel and unnecessary. The many protests and raising of awareness led to the removal of the elephants. After a long and costly legal battle, finally, in May of 2016, the company removed elephants from the shows. They sent the animals to live on a conservation farm in Central Florida. Removing the elephants caused ticket sells to drop drastically. The animals had been the symbol of the circus since Barnum brought an Asian elephant named Jumbo to America in 1882. In 2014, Feld Entertainment won $25.2 million in settlements from groups including the Humane Society of the United States, ending a 14-year fight over allegations that circus employees mistreated elephants.
 In attempts of trying to remain relevant for the past few years, Ringling Bros. hired their first African American ringmaster, as well as their first female ringmaster. They also launched an interactive app and added motorbike daredevils and ice skaters from their other shows to the circus. However, all of their attempts were unsuccessful.

 Sophomore Samari McLean expresses her sadness about the closing by saying: “I went to the Ringling Bros. every year as a child with my mom. It was something I always looked forward to, even though we haven’t been going as frequently since I’ve gotten older. It’s still a part of my childhood, and I’m sad they’re closing it. When my mom told me, we immediately went to but tickets for the last year!” The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus is currently on tour for the last time ever. They will be coming to the PNC arena in Raleigh on February 9 through February 12. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster and ringling.com.