World-famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus declared that this coming May, after a 146-year run, it will take down its tents and end its Greatest Show on Earth for good. Citing slumping ticket sales, higher costs and an increasingly negative public perception, CEO and chairman Kenneth Feld, whose family has run the Big Top since the 1960s, decided it was time to fold up the tent. “Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop,” said Feld. “This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.” The closing puts about 500 employees out of a job.

The announcement brought cheers from various animal rights groups, including the Humane Society of the United States and the radical People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which called it “the end of the saddest show on earth.” In retrospect, the writing was on the wall last year, when after years of dealing with lawsuits and protests from animal rights activist groups, Feld announced that the circus would no longer feature its iconic elephant show.

It is indeed a sad ending for a fun show. Generations of Americans have fond memories of seeing the wonderful performances of the well-trained animals, the amazing death-defying feats of the acrobats and the humorous slapstick comedy of the clowns. But it’s a testament to how much cultural sentiments can change.

One wonders if it won’t be long before Americans have seen the last of the zoos. PETA warned, “All other animal circuses, roadside zoos, and wild animal exhibitors, including marine amusement parks like SeaWorld and the Miami Seaquarium, must take note: society has changed, eyes have been opened, people know now who these animals are, and we know it is wrong to capture and exploit them.” Thus goes the “animals are people too” brand of “logic.” And they will take to the courts to force everyone else to “agree.” As The Wall Street Journal summed up, “Perhaps market forces would have ended the circus eventually, but America would be a better place if left-wing activists didn’t always seek to destroy legal industries they dislike.”