March 2016
The 2016 retirement of Ringling's elephants
Under pressure from animal-rights groups and declining ticket sales, Feld Entertainment retired all 13 touring elephants to a 200-acre sanctuary in Florida. The decision came after years of litigation over the treatment of elephants.
Then
The retirement drew praise from activists but contributed to a steep drop in attendance, as many saw elephants as the circus's main draw.
Now
It marked the end of elephant acts in major American circuses and set the stage for the entire circus's closure a year later.
Why this matters now
It was the first major concession by Ringling to changing cultural norms, showing how animal-related pressures could alter a century-old institution.