Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus is putting an end to its elephant performances, the company announced on Thursday.

Feld Entertainment, the production company that owns the circus, said the company will phase out elephants from its shows by 2018. The announcement follows years of aggressive campaigning by animal rights groups opposed to the use of elephants in circus performances.

Company CEO and chairman Kenneth Feld said in a statement that it “was not an easy decision” to stop including elephants in performances. But executives acknowledged that the public has become increasingly wary about animals being used in its shows.

“There’s been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers,” Alana Feld, Feld’s executive vice-president, told the AP. “A lot of people aren’t comfortable with us touring with our elephants.”

There are currently 13 elephants on tour with three of Ringling Bros’ circus units. In the next three years, they will join the more than 40 elephants that live at the Ringling Bros Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida, including a six-year-old named Barack.

In place of the elephants, the company said it will feature more things like daredevil acts and motor sports. Its shows will continue to include tigers, horses, lions, dogs and camels.

Animal rights groups have long targeted the company’s use of elephants and other animals in its shows. In November 2011, the company agreed to pay the Department of Agriculture a $270,000 fine for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act.

Cities and counties across the US have also passed laws that prohibit such performances from occurring within their boundaries. Los Angeles and Oakland passed laws last year that prohibit the use of bullhooks on elephants, which Ringling Bros said prevented the company from hosting shows there. Kenneth Feld told the AP that fighting this type of legislation is costly and planning tours with constantly changing regulations is a challenge for the company.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has been campaigning for the circus to stop using elephants for decades. “If Ringling is telling the truth about ending this horror, then it’s a day to pop the champagne corks and rejoice,” Peta said in a blog post.

The organization, however, called for Ringling Bros to immediately end the practice of using elephants in its shows.

Feld, which owns the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America, has always insisted that animal welfare is its priority. And in May 2014, the Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare groups were ordered to pay the company a $15.75m settlement because of allegations they made against the company, but were unable to prove.

“No other institution has done or is doing more to save this species from extinction, and that is something of which I and my family are extremely proud,” Kenneth Feld said in a statement. “This decision was not easy, but it is in the best interest of our company, our elephants and our customers.”