Cirque du Soleil was designed as a circus without animals. Notwithstanding the points others have made about animal rights and such, it's pretty clear that they

Cirque du Soleil was designed as a circus without animals. Notwithstanding the points others have made about animal rights and such, it's pretty clear that they have flourished as Ringling has declined. At the end of the day, just because something has been around for a long time is not justification of its existence. All organizations need to adapt to changing circumstances.