Elephant Escapes Samara Circus: 'I Thought I'd Seen It All'

Details have emerged about the elephant«s escape in central Samara. The animal was spotted on the streets of the regional capital near the circus.

According to eyewitnesses, the exotic guest calmly headed towards Shanghai Square on Molodogvardeyskaya Street. Samara residents expressed concern about the elephant«s well-being due to the cold weather.

The animal was caught fairly quickly. Trainers persuaded the giant to return to the circus and accompanied it on the way. Drivers yielded to the unusual pedestrian. However, the elephant itself did not violate traffic rules: it crossed the road at a green light.

Videos and photos from Samara quickly spread not only through local but also federal social media channels.

Samara residents speculated that the «trip to the city» was an unusual promotional campaign. It was around these days that a new program was set to begin at the Oleg Popov Circus.

However, there is a suggestion that the elephant«s stroll through the streets of Samara was unplanned. This opinion was voiced by Dmitry Ivanov, an employee of the Search and Rescue Service.

«Today was a very unusual call, I thought I had seen everything, but no, an elephant escaped from the circus, frightened by the explosions of firecrackers during a controlled walk, but everything ended well, the elephant was successfully returned under the control of trainers to the circus, everyone is happy,» the man said.

To commemorate such an unusual incident, Dmitry Ivanov took several photos. And not with one, but with two giants at once.

Open internet sources say that cold poses a serious danger to elephants, as they are tropical animals not adapted to low temperatures. Taking elephants outside is dangerous already at temperatures below +15 degrees Celsius (59°F). Hypothermia can lead to illnesses, as their bodies are tuned for efficient heat dissipation in heat, not for heat retention.

Elephants are frequent participants in circus shows, not only in Samara. And sometimes they stage escapes. For example, exactly 5 years ago in Yekaterinburg, animals also went on an «unauthorized leave». The giants even managed to enjoy the snowdrifts. The fugitives were returned to the circus with the help of traffic police officers. Moreover, trainers assure that the animals were not frightened and perceived the situation as a game.