As of 2016, the Kelly Miller Circus boasts of only one elephant—“Anna Louise the Dancing Sensation”—but soon this will be one elephant more than Barnum & Bailey.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is retiring its last elephants at least 18 months earlier than expected in response to criticism.

It was erected in 1985 to commemorate 100 years since Jumbo's death. (Atlas Obscura) A new book about a circus elephant that died in St. Thomas, Ont., brings Jumbo's story to life.

In the early 1800s, Hackaliah Bailey added the elephant “Old Bet” to his circus. P.T. Barnum added the African elephant he named “Jumbo” to “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1882.

It costs about $65,000 yearly to care for each elephant, Feld said. Eleven elephants currently tour with the circus. "They'll be joining the rest of the herd," Feld said.

The treatment of circus elephants went on trial in federal court yesterday, with animal rights groups accusing Ringling Bros. of violating the Endangered Species Act when it uses bullhooks and ...

Authorities say a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephant in Tupelo, Mississippi was hit by a bullet in a drive-by shooting Tuesday, April 9, 2013.

Eleven elephants currently tour with the circus. READ MORE: Ringling Bros. says its circuses will be elephant-free by 2018 “They’ll be joining the rest of the herd,” Feld said.