An elephant escapes a circus and causes chaos in a shocking video

On April 16, an elephant in a traveling circus managed to escape its confines and explore the streets of Montana, a US city, until it was found and brought back safely. The enormous animal, called Viola, was supposed to do a performance at the Jordan World Circus, but she got away before then. An person was seen following an elephant as it strolled through the streets, according to surveillance footage captured at the Town Pump gas station.

Viola reportedly left a traveling circus after being spooked by a car’s noise, according to NBC Montana. Viola was reportedly having a bath at the time, according the publication. Pictures from Butte depict the creature, which dwarfs automobiles, ambling down Harrison Avenue.

In an email to NBC Montana, Sheriff Ed Lester of the Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department said that the elephant had been “spooked by a vehicle and escaped briefly.”

The news agency said that handlers captured the elephant in around twenty minutes. There were no injuries or reported damages. The program began at the appointed hour.

The circus was scheduled to open with two performances at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. local time, a municipal official told CBS News.

“One of the circus elephants managed to escape from its trainer and wandered onto Harrison Ave., a bustling street in town,” said county executive J.P. Gallagher.

Animal advocacy groups PETA and PAWS said that Viola had previously escaped from a circus in separate instances. The circus that supplied the elephants for the Jordan World Circus, Carson & Barnes, has been punished for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act more than a hundred times and has a history of forcing elephants to undergo strenuous exercises, according to PETA. The organization said that the elephant was “elderly.”

Butte resident Mataya Smith was driving when her husband alerted her to an elephant on the road. Smith told NBC Montana that the community handled the incident well.

She said, “They should maintain a safe distance away from them and avoid getting too near or too involved,” since they have a lot of experience with bison. Here, she could run wild with more safety since they were all keeping their distance.

“When she approached, everyone backed up and slowed down.”