The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced Thursday that it will do away with elephant acts by 2018 because of public concern about the animals. “There’s been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers,” said Executive Vice President Alana Feld. “A lot of people aren’t comfortable with us touring with our elephants.” Last year, the circus’s parent company won $25 million in a legal settlement with the Humane Society and others over alleged elephant abuse.
