Circus elephant takes walk on the wild side in US city

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) – Before performing this week for adoring crowds, a circus elephant in the US state of Montana decided to break free and see the sights of the city.

When the circus stopped in Butte, one of Montana’s largest cities, on Tuesday the elephant named Viola took to the streets and roamed the city at whim and will.

According to CBS News, J.P. Gallagher, the city's chief executive, said the elephant wandered onto Harrison Ave, a bustling street in the city.

Video on social media showed the curious pachyderm strolling down the center of the road and stunned traffic. She also passed in front of a local casino and entered a storage facility while people ran alongside her.

Gallagher said Viola caused some minor damage to a storage area at the local civic center, but "no one was injured."

Viola's trainers were eventually able to subdue and restrain her before her two daily shows, at 4 and 7 p.m.

In separate statements, animal advocacy groups PETA and PAWS said that Viola had escaped from the circus before.

PETA alleged that Carson & Barnes, the circus that supplied the elephants to the Jordan World Circus, has a history of forcing elephants to perform grueling exercises and has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.