Ringling Bros. Circus Says No More Elephants

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is making a big change in its shows: no more elephants. Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling, says it will phase out elephants over the next three years, and send all of its current performing pachyderms to a sanctuary in Florida.

The company has been under pressure for years to stop using elephants, so why the change now? Vicki Croke, animal reporter for WBUR’s The Wild Life blog and author of the book "Elephant Company," talks with Here & Now's Robin Young about what prompted the change - and what it means for the elephants now performing.