Elephant roams Montana streets after circus escape

An elephant was on the loose and wandering streets in Butte, Montana earlier this week following a circus escape.

CCTV footage from a store showed the elephant, named Viola, roaming around a street before entering a parking lot, where it was led away by a person seen in the video.

According to local media, the elephant escaped a travelling circus visiting town after being scared by a passing vehicle.

Authorities from the town’s civic centre confirmed the elephant was part of Jordan World Circus. The elephant returned to the centre without harm.

Some animal rights activists expressed concern following the incident and nonprofit PETA said it submitted “an urgent complaint to federal authorities over the circus’s failure to protect Viola and the public”.