Circus Elephant Flees Bath Time and Escapes Into Busy Ireland Parking Lot

It's a familiar phrase of young adults threatening to "runaway and join the circus" to go find themselves, but one 40-year-old elephant who had been in the business for years couldn't wait to get away.

Baby, a 2.5 ton circus elephant, decided she did not want to partake in the ritual of bath time anymore, saw her opportunity and took off breaking through a barricade in Blackpool, Ireland. Unfortunately for Baby, she didn't get very far as she trapped herself in a parking lot where her handlers were able to contain and lure her back to the proper enclosure.

The parking lot security camera caught the incident. Watch it on this Reuter's report:

Reuters reports Baby's handlers saying that bystanders were not truly in any danger of Baby's stampede. They were more concerned about Baby trampling a car.

The Irish Examiner reports that an animal rights group plans to capitalize on the publicity from the escaped elephant and will be staging a protest against animals being used in the circus:

ARAN’s John Carmody said: "Judging from the response we are getting from the public since Neville’s break for freedom, we can safely say that the writing is on the wall for animal-act circuses in this country.

"It is time to reinvigorate a dying industry and start using amazing all-out acrobats and stunning artistic performers.

"Councils nationwide need to take action without delay and introduce motions to ban animal-act circuses using their land and government must introduce legislation in the upcoming Animal Health and Welfare Bill, as the next incident might be more deadly."

Note: Some accounts report the elephant's name was Neville. It is unclear which is the animal's true name -- Baby or Neville.