The elephants at Ringling Bros will perform today at long last

After years of giant tricks and synchronized dances, the elephants at Ringling Bros. will perform in one final act Sunday. The elephants' last show will be in Providence, RI, the circus said, nearly two years before the pachyderms' expected retirement.

The Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, had said all its touring elephants would head to a Florida conservation center by 2018.

It appears the animals are going to the facility a bit earlier.

Outcry from animal rights groups

The retirement marks the end of an era for the elephants, which had been a big part of the Ringling Bros.' performances. For years, the elephants and their graceful dance routines featured prominently in the shows. But several animal rights groups repeatedly criticized, picketed and sued the Ringling Bros. for its treatment of the animals.

In 2011, the circus was fined $270,000 by the USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. 

Source: CNN