Circus Elephants Get Their Pink Slips [PHOTOS]

From 'National Geographic' comes the word that after 145 years, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus will retire its 13 Asian touring elephants. 
Why are the pachyderms calling it a career? So many cities have instituted anti-circus and anti-elephant ordinances, it's become incredibly difficult to organize traveling road tours for the circus.

Retirement for the elephants has been fast tracked and moved up 18 months. The original plan was to phase out the animals by 2018. Ringling Brother's new show is being revamped and will be debuting this July without the pachyderms. 

The above photo represents exactly what Mindy and I experienced on our first safari at the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in Siyabona, South Africa in 1999. These creatures seen close up in their natural habitat are fascinating to observe! If you're looking to go somewhere outrageous on your next vacation, look into a safari vacation. For Mindy and I it was a trip of a lifetime, plus in South Africa, you can buy a six pack of 'gin & tonics!'   

These 10,000 pound majestic animals will be well taken care of at their new home at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida which has pledged their continuing work into their Asian elephant conservation program and their pediatric cancer research partnership with Dr. Joshua Schiffman. Why cancer research at the Elephant Conservation?

Get this! ELEPHANTS SELDOM GET CANCER because their bodies contain 40X more p53, the cancer suppressing gene than humans do!  

Listen to Ethan Carey on the Ethan & Lou Show weekdays from 5:30-10AM on 95.1 FM. You can listen online at i95rock.com/listen-live/ or by downloading theradioPup app for your mobile device.