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<p>WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP &#8212; When elephants like you, animal handler Ryan Henning said, they show it.</p><p>&#8220;They flap their ears, they might put their head down to you and get close or they&#8217;ll wrap their trunk around you,&#8221; said Henning, who has spent the last 12 years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus. &#8220;They&#8217;ve very vocal and make a lot of different sounds. They&#8217;ll kind of rumble and purr like a cat. You can feel the front of their head vibrate.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re a lot of fun to work with,&#8221; said Henning, feeling nostalgic about the end of an era.</p><p>Shortly after Circus XTREME performs at the Mohegan Sun Arena April 28-May 1, the five Asian elephants in Henning&#8217;s unit will <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/502863/ringling-circus-elephants-to-retire-in-may" target="_blank">retire to a permanent home at Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey&#8217;s Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida</a>.</p><p>Naturally, Henning will miss them.</p><p>&#8220;They reflect their age like humans. April is 5 years old and Mabel is 9. They&#8217;re rambunctious, have a lot of energy and they&#8217;ve curious. Asia&#8217;s 48 and she&#8217;s mellow, like a 48-year-old human being. The young ones kind of look up to her to see how she reacts to different sights and smells. If she reacts, they do.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;When they see new items, they get very touchy/feely with their trunks,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The younger elephants often remind Henning of little kids.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re stealing each other&#8217;s tree branches or they all want (to play with) the same tire,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If you have children, you know exactly what I&#8217;m talking about.&#8221;</p><p>The phasing out of the elephants is bittersweet for the handler, who grew up in a family of circus fans. His grandfather founded the Robert L. Parkinson Library and Research Center at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and his uncle, Greg Parkinson, was the executive director of Circus World Museum for 18 years. Baraboo is where the five Ringling brothers held their first circus in 1884.</p><p>&#8220;You could say I&#8217;m living my childhood dream,&#8221; Henning said.</p><p>While he&#8217;s somewhat sad to see the elephants retire, Henning looks at the transition in a positive way.</p><p>&#8220;The focus is 100 percent on conservation and cancer research,&#8221; he said, explaining elephants get cancer less frequently than do humans and scientists are studying the large animals in hopes they will find better ways to fight cancer in humans.</p><p>For now, Henning said, he urges circus fans to see Ringling&#8217;s Asian elephants one last time in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>&#8220;Definitely soak in the moment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Bring your cameras. Make some memories. It&#8217;s the end of an era.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey will retire its elephants to an Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida in May, soon after the circus performs in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_elephants-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey will retire its elephants to an Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida in May, soon after the circus performs in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_elephants1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Elephants walk from their train to the arena during a previous appearance by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_elephants1-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Elephants walk from their train to the arena during a previous appearance by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus. </caption1><photoCredit1>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_circus_walk2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Handlers and elephants make their way to the Mohegan Sun Arena in this file photo. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_circus_walk2-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Handlers and elephants make their way to the Mohegan Sun Arena in this file photo. </caption2><photoCredit2>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Departure of elephants will be bittersweet for handler as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus makes its way toward Wilkes-Barre