Elephant calf Barack to appear in Ringling Bros. Circus at the BJCC

There’s a new kid in town, and his name is Barack.

Well, technically he’s not a kid. He’s a calf.
Baby Barack at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Special)Barack, who just turned 1, is the newest addition to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey elephant fleet, and he’s making his debut in the tour that hits Birmingham on Wednesday.

Janice Aria, director of animal stewardship, was present for the birth of Barack, which she calls “the fruition of an amazing project.”

“He’s our first artificial insemination birth after many tries,” Aria says.

Importing Asian elephants into the U.S. has been illegal since 1973, so the only elephants that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will have are the ones they breed themselves. The artificial insemination project has been a way to accomplish that, while at the same time teaching Asian people how to take care of their elephant population, Aria says.

“These animals are close to disappearing off the Earth,” she says. “We’re teaching them how to take care of their elephants in captivity instead of shooting them. We’re not saying that it’s necessarily better, but we’re saying it’s an alternative. A lot of our adversaries say that this whole idea of turning them back into the wild is non-existent.”

That’s probably the furthest thing from baby Barack’s mind. His mom, Bonnie, has been touring with the circus for years (she’s 15).

“She was inseminated, and then in her last trimester, she was taken off the road and went to (Barnum’s) Center for Elephant Conservation,” Aria says. After Barack’s birth (the day after the presidential inauguration, hence his political name), handlers needed to determine if he could perform in the circus.

“If a baby elephant doesn’t have that temperament, it’s not going to work,” Aria says. “How do you make an elephant do what he doesn’t want to do? It just ain’t going to happen.”

Right now, Barack appears briefly in the show, with mom at his side at all times.

“He walks out there with his mom and walks right along with her,” Aria says. “This little guy is such a ham. Right now, he’s having the time of his life, and his mom is back where she’s supposed to be.”

For Aria, who has been with the circus for nearly 40 years, that’s under the big top.

“Some people feel there should be no interaction between humans and animals,” she says.

“But the elephants are the flagship of the circus. P.T. Barnum said you can’t have a circus without elephants and clowns, and I’m a little partial to that.”

"God almighty, these are some of the sharpest costumes I have ever seen. It kinda validates sitting in your trailer and hand sewing sequins for that "professional look."