Four years after the B次元官网网址淕reatest Show On EarthB次元官网网址� shut down, officials are planning to bring back the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus B次元官网网址� without animal acts.

An announcement is expected sometime next year, according to Nicole Zimmerman, a spokesperson for Feld Entertainment Inc. of Ellenton, Florida.

The three-ring circus shut down in May 2017 after a 146-year run.

in 2016. Without the elephants, ticket sales declined. Officials also blamed increased railroad costs, and the rise of online games and videos, which made the B次元官网网址淕reatest Show On EarthB次元官网网址� not seem that great anymore.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which was behind many of the protests, said it is thrilled with the concept of a circus without animal acts.

B次元官网网址淭he exciting announcement sends a powerful message to the entire industry, something that PETAB次元官网网址檚 been saying for decades: Cruelty doesnB次元官网网址檛 belong in the circus or in any other form of entertainment,B次元官网网址� the organization told the .

PETA and other groups maintained for years that the circus mistreated the animals featured in its shows.

B次元官网网址擳he Associated Press