Packing their trunks.

• Position: THE BIG PICTURE - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's elephants - Brief article

Circus impresario P.T. Barnum bought his first elephant 133 years ago, helping make the world's largest land mammal a mainstay under the big top for generations. Now the Ringling Bros, and Barnum & Bailey Circus that still bears his name says it's retiring its elephants for good. Following protests by animal rights activists who say the animals are treated cruelly, Ringling's parent company, Feld Entertainment, recently announced it will drop elephants from the "Greatest Show on Earth" by 2018. Many U.S. cities have already passed laws forbidding their use in circuses, prompted by research showing elephants to be highly intelligent (see box). Feld said its 43 elephants will live out their days at a company-owned sanctuary in Florida, but other animals will still be part of the circus, including camels and tigers. Though the company says its elephants were well cared for, it...