A second career for retired circus elephants

Retirees move out from under the big top and into research

At a Florida retirement home for former circus elephants, residents enjoy a steady diet of high-quality hay and local fruits and vegetables, as well as baths and occasional walks.

For these majestic beasts, this life of relative leisure at the 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation comes after years on the road, entertaining America in "The Greatest Show on Earth" for Ringling Bros and Barnum& Bailey Circus. Under pressure of animal rights activists, the circus is now phasing the animals out of its show.