Elephants are easily one of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring animals on our planet. While Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is dedicated to showcasing and teaching people about theses amazing animals, they’re dedication and care is much deeper than that.

In December 1995, they opened the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation which underscores another component of its corporate vision: to assure the present and future well-being of the Asian elephant species. The Center, which is funded exclusively by Feld Entertainment, Inc. (the parent company of Ringling Bros.), is located on a 200-acre site in Florida, and is dedicated to the conservation, breeding and study of Asian elephants.

“The elephant has always been a symbol of The Greatest Show On Earth,” comments Mr. Feld. “The Ringling Bros. Center will ensure that people of generations to come will be able to experience the joy and wonder of Asian elephants up close and personal.”

The Ringling Bros. Center, the most comprehensive facility of its kind in the world, incorporates experience and expertise gained from 138 years of traveling and working closely with Asian elephants and other exotic animals on tour. This intimate understanding helped determine facility features ranging from the size and configuration of paddock areas and buildings to the design of innovative gate systems, drinking troughs, shading areas and other amenities. The primary concern during the design phase was the well-being of the animals. Ringling Bros. personnel know how to interact with the animals and how to keep them healthy, comfortable and well-nourished.

Hands-on experience caring for Asian elephants has provided valuable insights in many areas of elephant husbandry, such as diet, waste removal, grooming and transportation of the animals. A familiarity with — and respect for — the lifestyle of breeding elephants was a determining factor in the selection of the secluded Florida site as well as the Ringling Bros. Center’s selective visitation policy.

Listed as endangered by U.S. authorities and by the international community, the Asian elephant is threatened by the severe habitat encroachment of humans in the elephants’ native India and Southeast Asia. Poaching of male elephants for their ivory tusks by illegal hunters poses another serious and growing problem. The continuing decline in the male population in nature calls into question the species’ sustained ability to reproduce.

The Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation provides a safe, healthy environment in which the elephants feel secure and comfortable enough to breed. The births of Romeo and Juliette in 1992 and 1993 marked the first successful Asian elephant conceptions and births in the Ringling Bros. breeding program. The herd at the Ringling Bros. Center, together with approximately 20 elephants currently traveling with the touring units of The Greatest Show On Earth, constitutes the largest Asian elephant gene pool outside of Southeast Asia.

Not a week passes without phone calls, letters, faxes and e-mails to the staff from zoos, veterinarians, scientists and scholars from around the world regarding animal husbandry. The Ringling Bros. Center, with its database, has become a global focal point for the worldwide study of Asian elephant behavior and reproduction. Recent visitors include members of the National Association of Veterinarians and the Elephant Managers Association.

While not open to the public, the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation will coordinate visits by researchers, academicians and conservationists, and will share knowledge gained with the rest of the scientific community. To find out more about the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation, visit the official website at ElephantCenter.com.

Information in this article was provided by a Feld representative or found on the Elephant Conservation Website.