VIDEO: Circus elephant escapes handlers, takes a stroll through Montana town
BUTTE, Mont. (WFLA) — A circus elephant went on the run in Butte, Montana on Tuesday after it escaped from its pen.
Viola the Asian elephant, from the Jordan World Circus, ran off from her bath after she was spooked by a truck that backfired, according to NBC Montana.
Security camera footage from a nearby gas station showed Viola trotting through the streets of Butte with a handler following close behind.
“My coworker pointed out, ‘There’s an elephant!’ Started jumping up and down, pointing out the window,” the gas station’s co-manager, Josh Hannifin, told NBC Montana.
A Butte resident who witnessed the chaotic incident mused that Viola just wanted to see the sights around the mountain town.
“Kind of making her way over to the casino trying to play some slots. Having a fun time, making the best of her Butte experience,” Mataya Smith told NBC Montana.
Smith said the community is used to encountering large animals like bison, so they gave the elephant space and let the handlers do their job. They got her corralled in about 20 minutes and reunited her with her mate.
“He kind of was using his trunk to say, ‘Come on come on, you’re being crazy, you’re scaring the townsfolk.’ She got in there and they started trumpeting at each other. It was very adorable,” Smith told NBC Montana.
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