When I was a kid, my parents would take us to this when it came to town. It was a big deal. A few years ago I took my daughter. As I was pulling in to the parking lot there were a couple of dozen protestors. Apparently, they treat the elephants like shit. I couldn't leave, though I actually wanted to. My daughter was way too excited, we had really built it up. But I wouldn't have taken her to it again after reading/seeing the videos I saw. Perhaps it's not a bad thing... Maybe in their void a more ethical circus will emerge. A "Circus of the sun," perhaps?
I think Cirque du Soleil is an ethical circus. Except the unfortunate death of an aerial performer. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/05/life-and-death-at-cirque-du-soleil
My guess is that the aerial performer had more say in their involvement. Unless, it was an aerial elephant. -That I'd pay to see.
...yeah, and see, my entire state was too small for B&B to bother with so all I ever knew of it was the ads we'd see running during Bozo the Clown on WGN. On the other hand, the Shrine Circus would show up pretty much every year. And either they couldn't fit the tent onto the football field or they couldn't afford one so it didn't much matter that my parents steadfastly refused to let us go, my sister and I could just hang out by the fence and watch, and try to avoid the roving bands of Shriners that would see us, assume we were indigent and try to give us tickets thereby requiring us to sit in a seat and be late for dinner and get in lots of trouble. I think the Shrine Circus had a camel. They had elephants because we'd watch them poop. But whatever the magic you're supposed to get out of seeing the circus, it passed my town by. My wife is into cirque. I guess if that's your thing, yay. It isn't mine.