A circus elephant named Viola gave the performance of her life on Tuesday – a grand disappearing act.
The giant animal was scheduled to appear on stage at Jordan World Circus in Butte, Montana, but before her performance, Viola escaped and wandered through town, a city official confirmed to CBS News. The circus had two shows scheduled, one at 4:00 PM and one at 7:00 PM local time.
“One of the circus elephants managed to escape from its trainer and headed toward Harrison Ave, a busy city street,” JP Gallagher, the county’s general manager, told CBS News.
A video shared on social media showed the elephant walking through traffic in the middle of the road in the southwestern Montana town. She walked into a storage facility in front of the city’s casino as people ran alongside her, video showed.
Brittany McGinnis via Storyful
Viola caused some damage to a storage area at the Civic Center, but “no one was injured,” Gallagher said, adding, “While there was minor damage to the facility, we are grateful that everyone was uninjured,” he said.
Viola’s trainers were eventually able to subdue and restrain her.
Animal advocacy groups PETA and MATES separate statements stated that Viola had previously escaped from the circus. PETA alleged that Carson & Barnes, the circus that supplied the elephants to the Jordan World Circus, has a history of forcing elephants into grueling exercises and has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.
CBS News has reached out to both circuses for comment.
