Circus Elephants Pack Their Trunks and Head into Retirement

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey have officially retired all their circus elephants to the Ringling’s Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC) in Florida.

But one of the first elephants to tour the United States is memorialized in Somers at the Somers Town House, also called the Elephant Hotel. On a large column in front of the building is a statue of Old Bet, the elephant owned by Hachaliah (sometimes spelled Hackaliah) Bailey.

Old Bet, said to be an African elephant, was the second elephant in the United States, but was the first circus elephant because Bailey brought her up and down the eastern seaboard and exhibited her. He had purchased her for $1,000 in 1808. To ensure that no one got free peeks, Bailey marched her along the roads at night. Bailey’s success at exhibiting animals gave other locals, like Nathan and Seth Howes of Brewster and others, the idea of making money with traveling menageries and other attractions. This is why Somers is called The Cradle of the American Circus.

P.T. Barnum acknowledged having met and been inspired in his youth by Hachaliah Bailey. Later, he joined forces with circus owner James Bailey, an adoptive nephew of Hachaliah, to form the Barnum and Bailey Circus, which in 1919 merged with the Ringling Bros. Circus.

The final two performances of the Ringling pachyderms were on May 1, 2016 in Wilkes Barre, Pa., and Providence, RI. The elephants, which are Asian elephants, now reside at the a 200-acre, “state-of-the-art” center that is “dedicated to the conservation, breeding and understanding of these amazing animals,” according to their website.

Kenneth Feld, Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment which owns the circus said, “The elephant has always been a symbol of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’ The Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Center for elephant conversation will ensure that people will be able to experience the joy and wonder of Asian elephants for generations to come.”

Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus has been accused by animal rights activists of abusing their elephants, with activists often protesting outside of venues while ticket holders wait in line to see the show.

For more information about Ringling’s Center for Elephant Conservation, click here.

Patch Editor Wendy Mitchell contributed to this report.