All eyes on elephant that escaped circus, wandered through Butte traffic

BUTTE — There was some excitement at about noon Tuesday as Tola, an elephant with the Jordan World Circus escaped from the Butte Civic Center and headed down Harrison Avenue despite the heavy traffic.

For a brief time, vehicles came to a standstill.

Tola, who is in her late 40s, quickly veered to the left, walking toward Montana Lil's Casino.

Josh Hannifin, co-manager of the Town Pump at 1370 Harrison Ave., was getting some bags for the hot dog buns when his co-worker, Lisa Rogers, pointed outside and yelled, "There's an elephant!"

"I jumped in the air," said Rogers.

The two quickly made their way outside and Hannifin only had seconds to get a brief video as Tola crossed Harrison Avenue and walked onto the casino's parking lot.

Hannifin, who has worked for Town Pump for 14 years, said the elephant moved quickly.

"There's never a dull moment working here," he said with a laugh.

The building that houses RE/MAX at 1341 Harrison Ave. gives its workers a clear view of Harrison Avenue.

Melissa Crosby, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Premier, was in the middle of an online class when she happened to look out the window and see the elephant.

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

Crosby and her boss, Denise Kelly, headed outside to get a closer look. Meanwhile, Bailee Hess was just returning to the office when she heard the news. She turned right back around, snapped a few photos and then headed to Grand Avenue where she was able to get a video of a complacent Tola being loaded into a circus truck.

"I was not expecting to see that on a Tuesday afternoon," said Hess.

Armando Loyal, who has been Tola's handler for nearly 22 years, explained that she was getting a bath behind the Butte Civic Center when a truck traveling down the road backfired and scared her.

"She was trying to get away from the noise," said Loyal.

He was not worried Tola would hurt anyone but was concerned that an accident could occur while drivers were distracted trying to get a look at her.

"It was nerve-wracking," said Loyal.

The escape was thankfully brief and Tola was hustled back into a circus semi.

Loyal said elephants are very caring animals.

"You spend all day with them and they become part of your family," he said.