What Ringling Bros. Circus Will Be Like Without Elephants

— -- Without Asian elephants, the show will still go on at Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circuses, though fans will likely also say goodbye to its "woolly mammoth."

The 145-year-old "Greatest Show on Earth," owned by the Feld Family of Feld Entertainment Inc., said it will still feature other "extraordinary animal performers." Those include lions, tigers, horses, llamas, goats, dogs and camels.

The company's programs have evolved from just animals to "mythical creatures of the past," specifically a unicorn and a Pegasus. The company will also likely be dropping the "woolly mammoth" from its "Legends" show, now that it can't dress an elephant.

The Legends performance previously highlighted "awe-inspiring feats of daring, spectacles of strength and thrills of wonder to summon the mythical and mysterious creatures of the past."

Ringling's "XTREME" show, on the other hand, features "circus spectacles," like human cannonballs, balancing acts and stunts on ramps. Even this stunt show, which of course features clowns, includes a range of animals.

The company recognizes that the omission of elephants is an "unprecedented change" in the show's history, but it said the company can focus on its Asian elephant conservation programs in North America and Sri Lanka.

"This is the most significant change we have made since we founded the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in 1995," Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, said in a statement. "When we did so, we knew we would play a critical role in saving the endangered Asian elephant for future generations, given how few Asian elephants are left in the wild."

In response to Ringling’s announcement, PETA called on the organization to act quickly to retire its elephants from performing, citing what it views as animal abuse toward elephants.

“Animals used for our ‘entertainment’ are denied everything that is natural and important to them,” Delcianna Winders, deputy general counsel for The PETA Foundation, told ABC News. “Tigers, for example, roam vast territories in the wild, but circuses routinely confine them to cramped transport cages and don't give them any opportunity to exercise.”

Feld Entertainment Inc. could not be reached for comment.

Circus Fans Association of America national president Gary Payne said the group’s members and friends were “stunned and saddened” by the announcement.

“When the circus comes to town in the future, if there are no elephants, or perhaps no animals at all, will the public and the endangered Asian elephant be as well served?" he said in a statement, adding that the group will continue to seek to foster understanding among the public of the wonderful care and respect that circus animals enjoy.”

The Circus Fans Association of America calls itself North America's leading circus fan organization, founded 1926.

“We can expect that this great American enterprise will continue in perhaps bold new ways while continuing to address the very real concern for the survival of elephants and all endangered species,” Payne said in his statement.