US: Elephant Named Viola Escapes Circus, Takes Walk Through Busy Montana Street; Video Goes Viral

A circus elephant named Viola was seen walking on a busy street in Butte, Montana, on Tuesday, April 16. This happened when the mammoth animal was scheduled to appear on stage at Jordan World Circus in Butte, but before that, the elephant escaped from the circus tent and started roaming on city roads. The circus had scheduled two shows, one at 4:00 p.m. and one at 7:00 p.m. local time.

A video of Viola is going viral on social media websites. In the video, the elephant is seen walking down the middle of the road through traffic in southwest Montana city. She then walks in front of the town's casino and into a storage facility as people run alongside her. 

Elephant on US Street

🚨#BREAKING: A circus elephant has gotten loose after escaping from its circus tent
⁰📌#Butte | #Montana

Watch as Law enforcement and other authorities shutdown the streets after a A Circus elephant was running loose in the streets stopping traffic while a handler ran after it… pic.twitter.com/9jz2Pd7U6V

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 16, 2024

According to the reports, Viola caused some damage to a storage area at the Civic Center, but no one was injured. The facility also suffered minor damage. 

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Animal advocacy groups PETA and PAWS, in separate statements, 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 gruelling exercises and has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.