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The iconic performing elephants of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ended their stage careers on Sunday afternoon with their final show in Rhode Island.

The six Asian elephants paraded before the crowd in Providence and balanced on their hind legs, then took their final bow before a crowd of thousands.

The final troupe of performers are just some of the dozens of elephants who have been a staple of the American circus for two centuries. 

They will now be retiring to a facility in Florida.

Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson paid a fitting tribute to the elephants, telling the crowd, "This is a very emotional time for us" as the performance drew to a close.

"We love our girls. Thank you so much for so many years of joy."

"We love our girls. Thank you so much for so many years of joy," he said as the elephants left the ring for a final time. 

"That's history tonight there, ladies and gentlemen, true American icons."

Elephants have been used in the circus in America for more than 200 years. In the early 1800s, Hackaliah Bailey added the elephant "Old Bet" to his circus. P.T. Barnum added the African elephant he named "Jumbo" to "The Greatest Show on Earth" in 1882.

But despite their iconic place in the show, the use of elephants for circus performances has drawn criticism from animal rights activists the world over for decades. 

Dozens of cities and towns across the U.S. have banned the use of bullhooks, a tool used in training elephants, limiting where some circuses could tour. Ringling announced plans earlier this year to phase out the show.

After Sunday's performance, the 11 animals will live out their days at Ringling's 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida. They will join around 30 other elephants already at the center. 

The herd of Asian elephants, the largest in North America, will continue a breeding program and be used in a pediatric cancer research project.

"Our lifetime commitment to caring for these amazing animals is unwavering. At the CEC, our team of dedicated biologists, researchers and elephants caretakers will welcome the rest of the herd with open arms and a horizon full of new opportunities as we strive toward a world with more elephants and less cancer," read a message on the center's website. 

The elephants will join others that once touring with Ringling's circus and will "spend their days socializing, roaming the pastures of the vast facility, all while receiving the highest level of care from our animal care team," says the center.

“We share a lifetime commitment to all of our elephants,” said Janie Aria, Director of Animal Stewardship at the CEC said in a statement. “From the time that they’re born to the time they pass away, we value them as the incredible animals that they are. The future of this species is in great hands.”

But not everyone supports the decision to relocate the animals to the Florida facility, 

The Humane Society has called for an end to the breeding program at Ringling's Florida center, and for the company to retire its elephants to one of two accredited sanctuaries -- one in California and one in Tennessee, both of which have more than 2,000 acres of land.

Additional information from the Associated Press.

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