Say goodbye to Ringling elephants walking through the streets
Animal activists everywhere can rejoice. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced plans to phase out the use of elephants in their acts. By 2018, the historic circus will no longer feature the animals, which also means an official end to the annual New York Elephant Walk —a mainstay of the circus’ arrival in town.
According to Google Maps, the elephant walk from Queens, through the Midtown Tunnel, to Madison Square Garden —the circus’ usual New York venue— is about 2 miles long and would take a human 40 minutes to walk.