Escaped elephant stops the traffic

Drivers got a shock in Clermont-Ferrand when they had to stop – they had little choice – when an elephant crossed the road in front of them.

The 4.5tonne giant had escaped from La piste aux Etoiles circus at Brézet commercial zone on the outskirts of the Puy-de-Dôme city but was recaptured a few minutes later.

Local newspaper La Montagne said it had been told by a circus hand that vandals had loosened the rope fencing keeping the 42-year-old female inside the circus enclosure.

“It was a storm in a teacup. We were able to recapture her a couple of minute later. She had probably seen that the grass was greener on the other side of the dual-carriageway.”

However, later, a circus spokeswoman told news agency AFP that the elephant had been out for an organised walk with its handler and did not cross the road. The stories of it escaping were just people trying to harm the name of the circus because it had animals.