After 146 years, the Greatest Show on Earth is closing. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told the Associated Press that the show will shut down for good in May.
The American icon tried to revive its fortunes with modern technology, but it couldn’t stop declining attendance. Public tastes changed, and the group had damaging battles with animal rights groups over its treatment of elephants (retired earlier) and big cats, such as lions and tigers.
“There isn’t any one thing,” Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, told the AP. “This has been a very difficult decision for me and for the entire family.”
Ringling Bros. will finish its…