Elephant escapes circus, awes residents as she roams city streets

BUTTE, Mont. (KECI/KTVM) - Lots of folks in a Montana city couldn’t believe what they were seeing when a circus elephant got loose and wandered the streets.

Viola the Asian elephant was getting ready for a Jordan World Circus show Tuesday when she got spooked by a vehicle and took off, according to the manager at the Butte Civic Center where the circus was taking place.

Resident Mataya Smith was driving with her husband around noon when he alerted her to the strange sight of an elephant in the road.

“Kinda making her way over to the casino, trying to play some slots, you know, having a fun time, making the best of her Butte experience,” Smith said.

Civic Center Town Pump co-manager Josh Hannifin was about to wrap hot dog buns when his co-worker noticed Viola outside. They rushed out of the convenience store to take a video.

“Went for a nice, slow walk down to Harrison. But man, they move fast when they just walk,” Hannifin said.

Viola made it about half a block from the civic center before her handlers were able to corral her and put her back in her trailer. No one, including the elephant, was injured in the 20-minute escapade.

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