On Tuesday, a circus elephant named Viola gave the performance of her life: a magnificent disappearing act.
A city official confirmed to CBS News that Viola, the mammoth animal, escaped and roamed the city before her performance at Jordan World Circus in Butte, Montana. The circus had two shows set for 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., both local time.
“One of the circus elephants managed to escape from its trainer and wandered onto Harrison Ave., a bustling street in town,” J.P. Gallagher, the county’s CEO, told CBS News.
Social media posted a video of the elephant wandering through traffic in the middle of the road in the southwest Montana city. She walked in front of the town’s casino and into a storage facility while people rushed along her, according to the video.
Gallagher stated, “Despite the minor damage to the facility, we are grateful that everyone remained unharmed.” Viola damaged a storage space at the Civic Center.
Viola’s trainers eventually managed to overpower and restrain her.
According to separate announcements from animal protection groups PETA and PAWS, Viola has previously escaped from the circus. According to PETA, Carson & Barnes, the circus that provided the elephants for the Jordan World Circus, has a history of subjecting elephants to hard workouts and has received citations for over 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
