An elephant that broke free from its enclosure on Tuesday took a trip to a town in Montana where it strutted through the streets among motorists who thought they were in a circus.
The pachyderm ran down Harrison Avenue in Butte around noon without causing the slightest incident, however slowing down car traffic which was less busy at this time of day, according to what the “New York Post” reported on Tuesday.
Images captured by a surveillance camera show the animal nicknamed Viola in the parking lot of a casino, walking nearly a block as if on a short walk in the forest.
The 58-year-old elephant belonging to the Jordan World Circus left his bath after being scared by a car, but no one was injured by the pachyderm who entertained witnesses during a brief 10-minute ride, continued the American newspaper.
The animal’s escape had no impact on the circus shows scheduled for the day, leading one circus official to say that “it wasn’t as dramatic as one might think.” .
On the other hand, animal rights associations, such as PETA and PAWS, did not appreciate such a spectacle, criticizing the circus for forcing the elephant to perform exhausting and sometimes painful tricks, according to the New York tabloid.
