One Brooklyn
March 5, 2015
“I thank Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for their decision to phase out their elephant acts by 2018. This is a positive acknowledgment of the compassionate concerns that many supporters of animal rights, including myself, have expressed in recent years. I have met with leadership from Feld Entertainment, the circus’s parent company, on several occasions, including as recently as last week, to engage in a constructive dialogue about elephant welfare. In our conversations, I stressed the importance of evolving to meet the times, and I am confident that their customers in Brooklyn and across America will welcome this change.
“I know it that can be difficult to shift from tradition, but to adapt the old show business adage, ‘the show will go on,’ and I believe it will be greater than ever as a result of this shift. I look forward to working with Feld Entertainment on their other great family-friendly productions and on their ongoing commitment to the worldwide conservation of the endangered Asian elephant. Additionally, I will continue to seek out and support common-sense measures that advance the well-being of all Brooklynites, whether they walk on two legs or four.”
-30-
