Elephant escapes the circus and takes a thunderous tour of a Montana city

A 58-year-old elephant escaped from the circus Tuesday afternoon and roamed the streets of Butte, Montana. The bloodless parade, which stunned passersby and briefly brought traffic to a standstill, was peaceably terminated in time for the show to go on.

The Jordan World Circus has been touring the Treasure State in recent days. It counts among its stars multiple elephants, including the escapee, Viola — who has alternatively been referred to in some reports by the name "Tola."

The general manager of the Civic Center, Bill Melvin, told the Daily Montanan that the gargantuan creature was spooked by a car backfiring. The African elephant lumbered some 100 yards away from the venue before her trainer could wrangle her and escort her back to the circus.

In that brief window of time the elephant knew liberty, Viola lumbered across Harrison Avenue and into a gas station parking lot, halting traffic along the way.

Lisa Rogers, an employee at the Town Pump off Harrison Avenue, told the Montana Standard that at the sight of the beast, "I jumped in the air."

Josh Hannifin, the comanager of the gas station, indicated that the elephant moved quickly, quipping, "There's never a dull moment working here."

Melissa Crosby, a real estate agent with a good view of the avenue, peered out just as Viola passed by.

"I texted my husband and he thought I was losing it," Crosby told the Standard. "It was the high point of my day."

Viola's handler of 22 years, Armando Loyal, indicated that the elephant was getting a bath behind the Civic Center when a passing truck backfired.

"She was trying to get away from the noise," said Loyal. "It was nerve-wracking."

The elephant's adventure was brought to a close in less than half an hour.

"The circus, of course, is very professional, and they had a professional trainer and he was real calm and the animal was calm and they were able to get her right back," Melvin told the Daily Montanan. "It was not nearly as dramatic as you would think."

The damage was reportedly limited to the flattening of an old fence.

"Everybody's back home safe and sound," added Melvin.

The New York Post indicated that the circus was able to put on its 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows despite the escape.

Don Kaltschmidt, the head of the Montana Republican Party, joked that Viola's self-guided tour signaled the GOP was "taking Silverbow County by storm." After all, the elephant has been associated with Republicans since the 19th century, thanks to political cartoonist Thomas Nast.

Jason Thielman, chief of staff for Montana Sen. Steve Daines (R) and the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, wrote, "Metaphor for 2024 senate race."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activists similarly seized upon the incident for their cause, claiming, "Viola's desperate break for freedom follows decades of abuse and involuntary servitude at the hands of Carson & Barnes Circus."

PETA suggested further that Viola had previously escaped in 2010 and in 2014.

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