Portraits of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performers and staff
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Portrait of Alexander Lacey with his leopard Mogli. Alex travels with 19 lions and tigers, in addition to Mogli. "I’ve been around animals since I was 4 years old – baby tigers, lions, chimps, bear cubs. My parents owned two zoos in England. [They] said to me, 'It’s a way of life. It’s not a job. We have to be here 365 days a year. Your life revolves around the animals.'”
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.
![Portrait of Alexander Lacey with his leopard Mogli. Alex travels with 19 lions and tigers, in addition to Mogli. "I’ve been around animals since I was 4 years old – baby tigers, lions, chimps, bear cubs. My parents owned two zoos in England. [They] said to me, 'It’s a way of life. It’s not a job. We have to be here 365 days a year. Your life revolves around the animals.'”<br />
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After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000OMLWiicHYN0/fit=1000x750/g=G0000BI8ps.2vTPA/150827-Sinclair-RinglingPortraits-019.jpg)
