A circus elephant got frightened by a car and got loose in Butte, Montana, on Tuesday, then wandered the town before being corralled.
The elephant, a 58-year-old female named Viola, is part of Jordan World Circus. Her pen was by the Butte Civic Center near a Town Pump convenience store and gas station, and she was getting a bath at the time of the incident, according to local NBC affiliate KECI-TV.
Viola was “spooked by a vehicle and escaped briefly,” Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Department Sheriff Ed Lester told NBC News.
“My coworker pointed out, ‘There’s an elephant!’ Started jumping up and down, pointing out the window. … Pretty exciting. It’s not every day you see an elephant walking down Harrison Avenue in Butte, Montana. Went for a nice slow walk down Harrison,” Josh Hannifin, co-manager of the Town Pump station, told KECI.
Handlers with the circus were able to run and catch Viola, corralling her back to safety without further issue, Butte Civic Center General Manager Bill Melvin told Butte CBS affiliate KXLF-TV.
Jordan World Circus went on to perform its two shows in Butte Tuesday without a hitch, according to the New York Post.