Its official – animal crackers have been taken out of their cages, and are allowed to run free, following requests from PETA – otherwise known as the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Mondelez International – the parent company of Nabisco – has redesigned the packaging of Barnum’s Animal crackers to remove cages from the front.  That brand new box keeps the classic red and yellow colors but now shows a zebra, an elephant, lion, giraffe and gorilla all simply walking through grasslands.

PETA first contacted Mondelez about a possible redesign back in 2016, and they’re praising the change – saying, “The new box for Barnum’s Animals perfectly reflects that our society no longer tolerates caging and chaining exotic animals for circus shows,” the group said in a statement. “No living being exists simply to be a spectacle or to perform tricks for human entertainment, yet all circuses and traveling shows that use animals treat them as mere props, denying them everything that’s natural and important to them.”

The redesigned boxes are now on U.S. shelves. Illinois-based Mondelez stated “When PETA reached out about Barnum’s, we saw this as another great opportunity to continue to keep this brand modern and contemporary,”

Nabisco sells more than 40 million boxes of Barnum’s Animal crackers each year.

(Associated Press/al.com/www.al.com)