By Rebecca Rakowitz | Contributing Writer
Tide for Tusks, an organization at The University of Alabama that advocates for the conservation of elephants, got up close and personal with a live elephant before Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presented “The Greatest Show on Earth” at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on Jan. 29.
The organization wasn’t at the circus simply so it could feed Kelly Ann the Asian Elephant though. It was there to thank Feld Entertainment for the work they are doing in finding a cure for cancer.
Every year, more than 16,000 kids and teens are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. alone. Feld Entertainment, pediatric oncologist Dr. Joshua Schiffman and his team are working to change that.
Schiffman, a survivor of pediatric cancer, was curious as to why, despite their massive size and large cell count, elephants rarely get cancer. In order to find out, Schiffman required a diverse elephant gene pool – a gene pool that Feld Entertainment has.
In 1995, Feld Entertainment created the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC). The CEC was created in order to conserve, breed, retire and study the Asian elephant, so that future generations would be able to experience the joy and wonder of these gentle giants.
The CEC now has the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America. As such, they felt compelled to make their herd available to Schiffman and his study.
Through his research, and with the help of his team and doctors involved with Feld Entertainment, Schiffman found that elephant cells have 40 copies of a genetic link called P53, which works to make sure cells don’t develop cancer. A healthy human has just two copies.
Schiffman is now researching how the relationship between having more P53 genes and less cancer can be used to help children who have a higher risk of developing cancer.
For more on Schiffman’s research visit https://jama.jamanetwork.com/
Tide for Tusks was fascinated when it learned about this medicinal development, and upon hearing of Feld Entertainment’s key role in advancing it, it decided it wanted to show its gratitude.
They did that by presenting Feld Entertainment with an original print of an elephant, hand-drawn by Reata Strickland, vice president of the Tide for Tusks non-profit.
“We wanted to acknowledge and thank Feld Entertainment for the work they’re doing,” Strickland said.
Twelve members of the Tide for Tusks community were present: eight from the Tide for Tusks class, two from the student organization and two from the non-profit.
Matthew Barrett, a sophomore majoring in international studies and the vice president of the Tide for Tusks student organization, thinks the cancer research being done with elephants is awesome not only for the children, but for the elephants as well.
“The incentive that elephants will help save people, will help save the elephants,” Barrett said.
Along with providing the samples that Schiffman needs to explore new treatments, Feld Entertainment has donated $250,000 toward his research.
In addition, it is donating $10,000 to the Primary Children’s Hospital Foundation at each of the next 50 cities it performs in, as well as $10,000 to a local children’s hospital in each of those cities.
A donation was made to the Child Life Program at Children’s of Alabama.
“The Greatest Show on Earth” is also performing in children’s hospitals in order to bring the show to those who cannot make it there.
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson believes that every kid deserves a fun, curious and dynamic childhood, and that what Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are doing in the ring and in the lab are helping to provide that.
He said the research Schiffman and Feld Entertainment are doing could really help humanity.
“This is bigger than any show we’ve been a part of,” Iverson said.
For more on Feld Entertainment and their conservation efforts and cancer research visit https://www.
For more on Tide for Tusks visit http://www.tidefortusks.org/.
