Center for Elephant Conservation

Irvin

IT’S A BOY! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® Center for Elephant Conservation Announces Birth of Second Asian Elephant Calf in 2005 Unprecedented 18th Elephant Calf Born at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation to Bear Name of The Greatest Showman on Earth.
Vienna, VA (July 5, 2005) – The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC) today announced the birth of a healthy 314-pound male Asian elephant on June 1, 2005. The calf was born to 29-year-old mother Alana after only four hours of labor. The newborn is Alana’s fourth calf, and was fathered by Charlie, an Asian elephant bull at the CEC. The new elephant calf has been named Irvin in honor of Irvin Feld, who purchased Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1967 from John Ringling North, ushering in the modern-day era of the American circus. In fact, circus historians credit Irvin Feld for saving The Greatest Show On Earth from an uncertain fate. Feld’s contributions to this great American institution led TIME magazine to name him “The Greatest Showman On Earth.”
"Ringling Bros. remains a fundamental part of American culture today because my father Irvin recognized the important balance between preserving the great tradition of the circus and using it as a forum to educate audiences on the importance of human and animal interaction,” said Kenneth Feld, Chairman and Producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. “We know that a large majority of our audiences come to see The Greatest Show On Earth because of our animals and specifically our elephants, so we feel a great responsibility to ensure the endangered Asian elephant is around for future generations to learn from and enjoy.” Irvin’s birth is an unprecedented eighteenth for the Ringling Bros. CEC and the second to occur this year. On April 21, Aree (Ah-re), a female Asian elephant calf, was born into the Ringling Bros. family. With fewer than 35,000 Asian elephants in the world today, both births serve to emphasize the important role that the CEC is playing in the preservation of this endangered species. As one of the most successful Asian elephant breeding programs outside of Southeast Asia, the Ringling Bros. CEC is home to the largest and most genetically diverse Asian elephant population in North America.

“It is considered a tremendous accomplishment for a zoo, animal park or even a circus to have one elephant birth within a year, so this second arrival is an extraordinary and rare achievement,” said Bruce Read, Ringling Bros.’ vice president of animal stewardship. “Captive breeding programs like the CEC are vital to the survival of the species. Ringling Bros. is committed to the preservation of the Asian elephant – a significant responsibility we share with the entire animal care community."

A team of veterinarians and elephant husbandry specialists will watch over and care for Irvin as he grows and develops. Irvin’s personality and demeanor ultimately will determine whether he joins the circus or spends his days at the CEC.

About the CEC:The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation was founded by Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros, to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience the now-endangered Asian elephant. Built in 1995, this 200-acre, state-of-the-art facility was designed for the reproduction, scientific study and retirement of the Asian elephant, enabling Ringling Bros. to share its elephant husbandry knowledge with the veterinary and conservation communities worldwide.