Ringling Bros. Circus on Monday settled a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Inspectors from the agency found that the circus had forced elephants to perform while sick, regularly fed big cats meat tainted with feces, and held animals in rusted or splintering enclosures. At $270,000, the settlement is the largest ever under the Animal Welfare Act. Animal-rights groups have . Ringling Bros. parent company Feld Entertainment has denied breaking the law.
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