Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus paid a record $270,000 fine for multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. A 2-year-old elephant being held at its Florida breeding and training compound died last month; he was not the first elephant to die in Ringling’s care. The circus’ shameless use of bullhooks — heavy batons with a sharp, steel hook on one end that can gouge and rip an elephant’s sensitive skin — has prompted more and more municipalities around the country to ban their use. That is a main reason why the circus is taking elephants off the road.

Captive elephants  are miserable. They are hauled around the country, sometimes chained for days at a time, in hot, filthy, crowded boxcars. It will be no different in Florida. They will still be chained, and babies will still be separated from their mothers. They will still live under the threat of bullhooks. And they will still be deprived of the chance to roam freely and socialize, which is so important to these highly intelligent, sociable, empathetic gentle giants.

There is no gray area here: Captivity is murder on elephants, as well as the lions, tigers, horses, kangaroos and other animals that Ringling will continue to exploit.

Your readers can learn more at the website Ringling Bros Beat Animals.