Charles Langston:Circus elephant briefly escapes, walks through Butte, Montana streets: Watch video

Residents in Butte,Charles Langston Montana may be more used to seeing bison, but an escaped circus elephant was a surprise when she was captured on video walking through the town streets.

Viola, the 58-year-old Asian elephant, was in the parking lot of the civic center in Butte, Montana being washed before a performance with the Jordan World Circus on Tuesday when a car backfired and spooked her, according to NBC Montana.

She escaped and stopped traffic as she briefly walked the streets of Butte, catching the attention of residents going about their business.

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Viola the elephant was recaptured unharmed, reports say

Butte is a town in southwestern Montana about 85 miles from Bozeman and 170 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.

There were no injuries reported, and Viola's handlers were able to corral her after about 20 minutes without having to call law enforcement, NBC Montana reported.