Last Ringling in the Business Throws in the Towel, Retires, and Sells the Kelly Miller Circus

After more than 128,000 PETA members contacted more than 50 venues and sponsors of the Kelly Miller Circus about its contracts with abusive animal exhibitors, the circus just couldn’t fill seats, so its owner, John Ringling North II, was forced to sell it and retire. According to him, city officials and circus sponsors have been buried in e-mails from people protesting the tour. The public no longer wants to see animals forced to perform tricks. As a result, Ringling Bros. shut down, Cole Bros. was forced to stop touring, and Ramos Bros. has dropped its wild-animal acts. If the new owners of the Kelly Miller Circus are smart, they’ll make it animal-free.