Daily News

[Jimbuna]

Elephant escapes circus, wanders through Montana traffic

An elephant escaped from a traveling circus in Montana and went wandering through traffic in Butte.

Silver Bow County Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher said the female elephant, named Viola, escaped from the Jordan World Circus on Tuesday and went walking down the middle of Harrison Avenue amid heavy traffic.

Sheriff Ed Lester explained that Viola had fled the circus when she was spooked by a passing vehicle.

Shocked residents captured photos and videos of Viola's time on the loose.

"My coworker pointed out, 'There's an elephant!' Started jumping up and down, pointing out the window," Civic Center Town Pump co-manager Josh Hannifin told NBC Montana. "We ran out the door and finally caught a video of the elephant coming through the lot here. Pretty exciting."

Gallagher told CBS News that the runaway elephant caused minor damage to a storage area at the Civic Center, but "we are grateful that everyone remained unharmed."

The pachyderm pursuit ended with Viola being caught by her handlers and safely returned to the circus.

Animal rights groups PETA and PAWS reported in separate statements that Viola had escaped from the circus before in 2010 and 2014.
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/04...9061713365417/

[Jimbuna]

New Zealand: Ram killed by police after elderly couple found dead in paddock at their home near Auckland

A ram believed to be responsible for killing an elderly couple has been shot dead by New Zealand police.

The pair, in their 80s, were found dead by their son in a paddock attached to their home in Waitakere, rural West Auckland, the New Zealand Herald reported.

He had grown concerned after not hearing from them in the morning, a family spokesperson said.

Police attended the scene at 7.30am local time and confirmed the ram was in the paddock at the time of their visit.

The country's force said in a statement: "Another party at the scene suffered a minor injury after being attacked by this ram."

It added that its officers were "confronted and approached" by the ram.

After assessing the situation, they shot the ram dead.

Dean Burrell, a relative, told the Herald the couple had "both lost their lives in a tragic accident".

"They're good people. They're over 80. They don't deserve this," Mr Burrell said.

"Everyone's in shock as to what's happened. They're very upset. I feel like I was dreaming it actually, it was a bit of shock, being told what had happened and I just didn't believe it."

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Mr Burrell's father had phoned him to tell him the news and he came to the scene to "support [his] cousins and the wider family".

An investigation into the deaths is under way and a post-mortem is expected.
https://news.sky.com/story/new-zeala...kland-13117771