Katharine Lackey

USA TODAY

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — When the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' performers spin, twirl, jump and sparkle in the colored spotlights, David Orr, 77, turns his attention elsewhere — to the mesmerized children who pack the stands, many waiting to see an elephant for the first time.

Orr was once one of those children. He experienced his first Ringling circus in 1946 in Columbus, Ohio, where he picked up a habit he couldn't kick. In 70 years, he's missed just two seasons. "It's the way I kept sane," he said. "I would run away to the circus for a few days."

Now he'll have to continue the circus streak without his beloved elephants. Ringling's final 11 performing elephants marched into arenas for the last time Sunday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Providence, R.I., ending a 145-year-old tradition of the giant pachyderms taking part in the big top.

Ringling bowed to pressure as state and local rules placed more restrictions on the circus' use of exotic animals and the bullhook trainers use to control the animals. The move followed decades of protests by animal rights activists.

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Orr, of Sarasota, Fla., said he's seen how the animals are treated behind the scenes and strongly feels that they're well taken care of. "It's sad," he said, choking up when talking about the elephants' departure. "It hits me right here," he added, pointing to his heart.

Thunderous applause greeted Mable, April, Asia, Luna and Tonka as the elephants marched into the arena here in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., for the final time wearing their well-known red leather, gold studded headdresses emblazoned with "Greatest Show on Earth." They stood on their heads, turned in circles, balanced on a small stand and even took a nap, albeit a brief one — the crowd shouted "Wake up, elephants" only moments later.

The tricks are the favorite part of the show for Carissa Lewis, 9 — especially when the animals stand on their heads, she said. "I really think that I just want the elephants staying in the circus," she chirped.

On the concourse helping pick out souvenirs for all five of her children, Carissa's mother Amanda Scanlon, 30, of Taylor, Pa., said she brought the whole family down just to see the final performance. "It's heartbreaking, because they're not coming back," she said. "Where are you going to see elephants?"

Behind the scenes, trainers and performers who have spent years working with the elephants were also sentimental. Many spent time bidding farewell to the historic mainstay of the show. Several posed for photos with the elephants ahead of the final performance. Some stood and solemnly watched as the elephants marched onto trucks and rolled away from an arena one last time.

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Ryan Henning, animal trainer at the show for 12 years, called the change "bittersweet" and said the one moment he will miss most is when the curtain opens for the first time. "When the elephants peek through the curtain ... the crowd's reaction just goes crazy," he said.

Raw emotion also punctuated the scene outside the arena. Holding signs saying "Ban circus animals" and "Cruelty is not entertainment," more than a dozen activists came out to demonstrate at the elephants' last act.

The activists say the use of the bullhook — a long stick with a sharp metal hook — in the elephants' training and handling, along with chains and other methods of controlling the animals are cruel. Ringling maintains those practices are humane and not only for the safety of the humans who work with the animals but also for the elephants themselves.

While animal rights groups largely praise the circus' decision to retire the elephants, many say the move doesn't go far enough to eliminate other wild animal acts. "Do we celebrate this last day — yes," said Chris DeRose, founder of Last Chance for Animals, one of the protesters outside the stadium here. "But two, let's get the rest of them out of here, the rest of the animals suffer just as much."

"Why should they have to suffer for entertainment," he said.

The final performance leaves the 11 pachyderms with one last road trip, this time to Ringling's Center for Elephant Conservation, where they will join a herd of 29 elephants already in residence. The retirement ends a rigorous schedule that included 1,000 shows a year in 80 cities, split between two traveling elephant troupes.

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals said elephants are highly intelligent and deeply emotional animals with memories similar to humans. They normally roam vast areas of wilderness and form long-lasting bonds with other elephants in their herds.

While the animals adjusted to performing and traveling with the circus and will adapt to the quieter activity of the conservation center, either way they're not living the life they would want to lead, he said.

"I suspect because of the way they’ve adapted, they make due with what they have," Masson said. "I wouldn’t say they never get any pleasure from (performing), but it’s a very diminished kind of pleasure."

DeeAnn Reeder, an animal behaviorist at Bucknell University who has worked with elephants, said moving to a new place and developing new social groups will initially be stressful for the creatures, but the long-term benefits far outweigh any negatives.

"They’ll be able to behave like elephants instead of circus animals," she said.

Masson said elephants rarely form true bonds with humans, instead remaining indifferent to their caretakers. However, Reeder said the elephants likely developed strong relationships to those who spent years training and performing with the animals.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a little mourning that happens on each side of that relationship," she said.

Follow Katharine Lackey on Twitter: @katharinelackey