Indian elephants escape circus, go for a snow bath in Yekaterinburg

45 year old Carla and 50 year old Roni were due to leave Yekaterinburg yesterday to start a several day long drive to Saint Petersburg.

The two elephants are announced as star performers of the Italian Circus show due to be hosted at Bolshoi State Saint Petersburg circus. 

The animals were taken for an outside walk before getting into their trucks when they decided to break free.

‘The elephants have their own character and emotions, they are very smart.

'They walked outside and got very happy from seeing the snow, the trees and the pedestrians whom they took for spectators. Roni stayed by one of the trees while Carla walked towards a pile of snow’, said Yekaterinburg circus in a statement via social media. 

The animals were taken for an outside walk before getting into their trucks when they decided to break free. Picture: Ksyusha Zolotareva, E1

The giant animals were filmed rolling in the snow and ignoring handlers’ attempts to get them back. They didn’t seem to mind -5C air - mild for this time of year - and took their time snow bathing.

The 8 Marta street had to be blocked for traffic while work at most of nearby offices went on standby as people rushed outside to watch and film the playful giants. 

The two elephats must be the world record breakers as the longest travelling elephants. 

The Siberian Times wrote about them being taken on a gruelling 16,000km (9,950 mile) journey earlier this year in order to perform in every major city along the route.

The circus which belongs to the Togni family described itself as the oldest circus dynasty in Italy.

In several cities, namely Yakutsk, resident demanded to ban the circus complaining about animal cruelly. 

The Siberian Times wrote about them being taken on a gruelling 16,000km (9,950 mile) journey earlier this year in order to perform in every major city along the route. Pictures: YSIA, The Siberian Times

The Togni’s Russian and Italian artists dismissed the claim.

The show’s art director and host Sergey Bondarchuk said: 'We love our animals a lot, they are our family.

‘They too love the circus, they get bored without work. Our animals will live and die with us, they won't survive in the wild.'

Italy banned animals circuses in Autumn 2017, which might explain why the Togni circus decided to embark on this astonishingly long journey around Russia.  

WATCH THEY SNOWBATH!