Despite how many years it’s been the self-proclaimed “greatest show on earth,” Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’s days were always numbered, when you stop and think about it. Think of the overhead, the outrage, the sheer volume of the staff.

To that end, Raleigh’s PNC Arena will be one of the final stops for the show biz institution that’s been touring the country — almost nonstop — for 146 years.

Circus Vargas’ 100 employees each work more than just one post; it’s been the “circus norm” for years.

Close

But that doesn’t mean that some other, smaller outfits won’t continue to try to make a go of it. The catch? Maybe do the whole circus thing without animals — no elephants to ride, tigers to tame, horses to frenetically jump obstacles.

After all, the animal rights activists never stopped haranguing “the circus,” and the criticism was only getting worse in recent years. Cut to Circus Vargas — a small, California-based traveling circus.

The way this group keeps things profitable is actually pretty simple: Circus Vargas’ 100 employees each work more than one post, which has been the “circus norm” for years, and in some cases many of the headlining acts will also be peddling concessions. One specific example: During intermission, the only trapeze artist doubles as a children’s face-painter.

Related: Ringling Bros. Circus is Shutting Down

“Every single person in our show wears many hats,” co-owner Nelson Quiroga told the Los Angeles Times. Katya, his wife, is also an owner. Quiroga drives much of the equipment in big rigs himself to the various locations where they perform. He added: “I think the challenge for circuses today is to establish what their market is. They have to decide if they are going to deal with the extra layer of regulations or not.”

In other words, cut the animals loose — and the egg-lobbing, spray-painting noisemakers just might disappear with them, leaving the ringleaders and their gang to do what they came to town to do: entertain.

[lz_ndn video=30700618]

Ringling Bros. cited changing public attitudes toward animal acts and tough animal welfare regulations as key reasons why it retired its elephants last year. Several cities, including Los Angeles, had banned the use of a sharp-edged tool called a bullhook to train them.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Related: The End of Ringling Bros. Circus

As for Vargas, in addition to assigning workers double duty to keep costs down, the group figured out the whole animal issue long ago: They ended their animal acts, which not only eliminated the occasional protest, but also the expense of caring for and housing the creatures. It also cut the need to meet strict regulations, which left razor burn for the Bearded Lady as the only thing left for protesters to moan about.

So is there life for the circus sans wildlife? There could be. Clowns on tricycles, trapeze artists, people shot out of cannons … the frantic pace and endless action — it all remains as thrilling as it has been for well over 100 years.