Feds Punish Carson & Barnes for Elephant Escape After Tip-Off From PETA

After PETA notified the U.S. Department of Agriculture that an elderly elephant named Viola had escaped from Jordan World Circus while in Butte, Montana, for a performance in April 2024, the feds cited her exhibitor, the notorious Carson & Barnes Circus, for not properly securing her and failing to protect her from potential injury. Viola had escaped at least twice before—in 2010 and 2014. In 2021, a PETA investigation revealed that she was being forced to perform daily despite having chronically swollen feet and showing signs of other ailments that affected her hind legs.