article_snippet: But activists soon focused on the timing, questioning why The Humane Society of the United States will take three years to phase out the elephants from the traveling circus shows.
article_snippet: If the decision is serious, then the circus needs to do the decision NOW.'
article_snippet: Feld executives said the decision to end Barnum & Bailey Circus's century-old tradition of showcasing elephants was difficult and debated at length.
article_snippet: A lot of people aren't comfortable with our touring with our elephants.'
article_snippet: Another reason for the decision, Feld said, was that certain cities and counties have passed 'anti-circus' and 'anti-elephant' ordinances.
article_snippet: Carol Bradley, who wrote a book about the freeing of an elephant, called the decision 'earth-moving' and thought the Felds would never change Carol Bradley, who wrote a book about the freeing of an elephant minds . '
article_snippet: How One Extraordinary Elephant Escaped the Big Top,' which is about a non-Ringling circus elephant, said One Extraordinary Elephant believes the Feld family 'realized it was a losing PR battle.' '
article_snippet: This is an enormous, earth-moving decision,' One Extraordinary Elephant said. '
article_snippet: I never thought the Feld family ''d change the Feld family ' minds about this.'
article_snippet: When asked by a lawyer whether the show would be the same without the elephants, Kenneth Feld replied, 'No, the show wouldn't.'