Wild moment elephant marauds through small town in Montana after breaking loose from circus

They say elephants never forget, and neither will the residence of the small Montana town of Butte, which had to deal with an elephant roaming the streets on Tuesday.

Despite being renowned for its spectacular scenery and wildlife, elephants are not native to the north-western state.

The presence of the enormous animal is in fact evidence that the circus is in town.

The large elephant, named Viola, managed to perform an escape act from the Jordan world circus, which is touring Montana throughout April.

The massive animal could be seen marching through a parking lot in the small town

A 58-year-old elephant was seen stomping through the streets of Butte, Montana on Tuesday

Drivers along Butte's main road could not believe what they were witnessing as the elephant could be seen stomping along the highway, closely followed by a panicked member of the circus staff who was carrying a large stick. 

The elephant managed to avoid being hit by any of the cars as it walked onto the forecourt of a nearby gas station before moving onto a parking lot and past the front door of the casino.

Bystanders were astonished at the bizarre and unusual sight. 

The elephant then defecated on a resident's lawn before it was finally caught by its handlers, reports NBC Montana.

There was no property damage and Viola wasn’t harmed.

The video saw the massive mammal moving rather briskly before it disappeared from view behind a building.

One local TV news journalist, DJ Bauer, posted to X that the elephant is 58-year-old and from Asia. 

He explained how she escaped from her pen after she became scared by a truck that suddenly backfired while she was being washed by her handlers outside.

A website for the Jordan World Circus showed that its scheduled to perform a pair of shows in Butte on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

According to the Performing Animal Welfare Society, Tuesday’s incident marked the second time an elephant has escaped from a Jordan World Circus setting. 

Viola the elephant was quickly tailed by one of her handlers as she passed a local casino

The scene left drivers astonished as they came across the unusual sight during their commute

Nonprofit PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, were unimpressed by the elephant's treatment.

'The elderly elephant, Viola, who escaped from Jordan World Circus today is supplied by Carson & Barnes Circus, which has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. 

'Viola has escaped at least two other times—in 2010 and 2014 —and in 2021, a PETA investigation revealed that she was being forced to perform daily despite having chronically swollen feet and signs of other ailments impacting her rear legs,' they said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

'Viola’s desperate break for freedom follows decades of abuse and involuntary servitude at the hands of Carson & Barnes Circus, which forces her to perform grueling, painful tricks and has been caught on video electroshocking elephants and beating them with a sharp, steel-tipped bullhook,' said PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare Debbie Metzler.

'PETA has submitted an urgent complaint to federal authorities over the circus’s failure to protect Viola and the public from her frightened attempts to flee her weapon-wielding handler, and urges everyone to help elephants like Viola by refusing to buy a ticket to any circus that’s still forcing them to perform. 

'PETA’s complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requests that the agency investigate Carson & Barnes, hold it and any other responsible parties accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and ensure that Viola is thoroughly examined for injuries she may have sustained during her escape,' Metzler added.