Polk City , Florida ( CNN ) If you drove by it , you would n't even know it 's there . The Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation sits on 200 acres of land in rural central Florida , halfway between Orlando and Sarasota , off a nondescript country road . An armed security guard greets you at the entrance . After a short drive down a gravel road , you get the sense this is a special place . `` You can walk around and you do n't hear anything , '' said Kenneth Feld , who opened the center in 1995 . `` These elephants , they have these large feet and they travel silently through the fields . I think it 's very peaceful . '' Twenty-nine elephants currently live here , and 13 more will join the group by 2018 , after Ringling Bros. decided this year to stop using elephants in its traveling circus . `` This was a decision that our family had discussed for quite some time , '' said Feld , chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment , the company that owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey . The change comes after years of repeated criticism and lawsuits by animal rights groups . The ultimate decision to phase out the elephants , Feld said , is the result of the different laws regulating the use of the animals in each of the 115 cities the circus visits every year . `` You ca n't operate any business , much less with animals , if you do n't have consistency from city to city , '' Feld said . `` It 's a definite expense to be in litigation and to be fighting legislation , and there is a saying and it 's been around for a long time : 'You ca n't fight city hall . ' And we found that to be the case in this situation . '' The circus business has been a part of the Feld family since 1967 , when Irvin Feld purchased Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey . When Irvin died in 1984 , his son , Kenneth , took over . `` This is a whole family affair , '' he said . `` It 's a family affair for our family but also for all the elephants . '' When the center opened 20 years ago , it housed fewer than 10 elephants . `` It was a place for elephants to retire , '' Feld said . Today , the center houses elephants of all ages . `` We have lots of different elephants , meaning males and females , youth elephants , older elephants , so it is a great place to study behavior , '' he said . The center is also focused on breeding the animals . Wendy Kiso , a research and conservation scientist , spends her days at an onsite lab , trying to figure out how to keep the species from going extinct . Part of her lab includes several tanks that `` cryo-preserve '' elephant sperm at negative-196 degrees . `` We process the semen and we extend it in such a way that we can freeze it , '' Kiso said . `` This is a genetic resource bank for Asian elephants . '' Twenty-six elephants have been born here , Feld said . Mike , the newest pachyderm to join the group , was born at the center 's birthing barn nearly two years ago . `` We have the largest and only sustainable herd of Asian elephants in the Western Hemisphere , '' Feld said . Caring for the elephants is no small task . Trudy Williams and her husband , Jim , spend their time taking care of the animals ' daily needs . It takes the couple hours to bathe , walk and feed the elephants every day . `` First thing in the morning , we water them , and give them some treats and feed them some hay , '' Williams said . Each elephant eats about 150 pounds of food a day . Twenty-one tons of hay usually lasts only 10 days at the center . Exercise is also part of the daily routine , including stretching . `` We just do that a few times on each leg with them , just to give them a good stretch , '' Williams said . `` We do some footwork with them . All of our elephants , generally once a month , get a pedicure , just to make sure their feet are in good condition . '' All of this care is n't cheap . `` Each elephant costs over $ 65,000 a year , per year , over all the years of their life , '' Feld said . `` We 're fortunate we 're for profit . We do make a profit and we 're a privately owned family business , and so we 've made a decision we want to devote a lot of resources here . '' It 's a price Feld said he 's willing to pay to keep this species -- some varieties of which in Asia and Africa are endangered -- alive for generations to come . `` I always say , it 's sort of like Jurassic Park with a happy ending , '' Feld said . `` We knew that if we did n't do something , maybe my grandchildren would never have the opportunity to see these incredible animals . '' CNN 's Javier de Diego contributed to this report .
29 elephants currently reside at the circus sanctuary , and 13 more will join by 2020 . The donation comes after circus Bros. said it would stop using elephants in 2017 . $ 65,000 worth of care annually includes feeding , storing and tons -- literally -- of food .