Good because using wild animals to perform is cruel.  It is not even close to their natural environment and the animals suffer because of it!  And it's not just elephants!  It is ALL wild animals.  Circus animals spend about 96% of their lives in cages or in chains.  It is common for circus animals to develop health problems like arthritis due to so much immobility.  And circus animals often suffer from extreme stress or boredom which often manifests in obsessive behaviors like swaying, bobbing, chewing, sucking, weaving, rocking, and licking.  Circus animals often travel over long distances in box cars with no climate control; sleeping, eating, and defecating in the same cage... often for as long as 100 straight hours. Circus animals are trained using extreme "discipline" such as whipping, hitting, poking, and shocking with electrical prods.  In the wild, elephants typically live to the age of 70.  The average lifespan of a circus elephant is 39 years.  It is especially sad because elephants are highly intelligent and are a lot like humans when it comes to intelligence and emotions.  Sadly the news of phasing out elephant acts is only a very small baby step in the right direction.  They plan on phasing them out in 3 years.  That means 3 more years of suffering for these poor animals.  Also, they are only getting rid of the elephant acts.  They still have lions and tigers and other wild animals that will suffer abuse for many many years to come.  All circuses need to stop all animal acts.