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.
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
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.