Recently, in Butte, Montana, an elephant named Viola escaped from a circus and wandered the streets alone, causing havoc.
An astonishing video shows an Asian elephant casually walking down a four-lane road in Butte on Tuesday, dodging moving cars and heading toward a casino building.
Witness Mattaya Smith told Fox News Digital that she and her husband were in the car when they first noticed the majestic creature. She said her husband warned her about the elephants.
“My first reaction was that my husband had lost his mind, and when I looked up, it was. [a] I was surprised,” she said.
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Viola the elephant was captured by her zookeeper as she was walking down the street in Butte, Montana. (Mattaya Utrail-Shailene Smith/Local News X/TMX)
“While the first few seconds were concerning, the Butte residents respected her space. Drivers kept a safe distance and backed up as she approached.”
Concern turned to excitement as locals stopped to watch where the elephant would go next.
“As she moved off the road, my concerns for her safety became less and less,” Smith explained.
“This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can see circuses in most places on the West Coast during the summer, but I think this is pretty rare.” [that] The elephant heads to the slot machine. ”
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Viola’s keepers eventually captured the elephant, but the elephant was unharmed in the incident. (Mattaya Utrail-Shailene Smith/Local News X/TMX)
Sheriff Ed Lester of the Butte-Silver Bow Law Enforcement Division told FOX News Digital that the animal was “startled by the car” and briefly escaped its handler.
“The elephant walked down the street for a block or two before being loaded into a trailer by circus staff,” Lester said, adding that neither the human nor Viola were injured in the incident.
“I’m glad everything went well. As far as I know, the show went on as scheduled!” the sheriff added.
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Viola the elephant headed to the casino building at the end of her journey through Butte. (Mattaya Utrail-Shailene Smith/Local News X/TMX)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told Fox News Digital that this is not the elderly elephant’s first rodeo. She reportedly ran away from the circus in 2010 and 2014.
According to PETA’s investigation, Viola was forced to perform in 2021 despite suffering from chronic swelling in her feet.
According to PETA, the incident involves two circuses, one where she performed this week and another where she performed at her current show. Debbie Metzler, director of captive animal welfare for the PETA Foundation, said her supplier had abused her for decades and called her escape a “desperate break from freedom.”
“PETA has filed an emergency complaint with federal authorities alleging that the circus failed to protect Viola and the public from this frightened animal attempting to flee from its armed handlers, and is calling on all of the circuses to They refused to buy tickets and called on people to help elephants like Viola.” Yet they are forced to perform. ” Metzer said.
Montana residents watched excitedly to see where Viola would go next. (Mattaya Utrail-Shailene Smith/Local News X/TMX)
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Fox News Digital requested a statement from Jordan World Circus, the company that allegedly handled Viola, but did not receive a response.
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