An elephant was seen strolling down a highway in the southern Italian region of Calabria, this week, near the Eurospin supermarket leaving locals baffled. It was later reported that the elephant escaped a local circus and has since been returned.
The mighty creature was seen stomping his way down the SS18 road in the town of Amantea, Cosenza province, according to local media reports. In the video, it seems as though the elephant was heading towards a local supermarket called Eurospin, a popular supermarket in Italy.
In the brief clip, the driver can be heard laughing looking at the bizarre scene unfolding and saying: “He is going for a stroll! An elephant at the Eurospin!” The video has since garnered over 26,000 views, on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Some local websites also reported that the elephant may have reached the store after being drawn there by the smells. Notably, elephants have a keen sense of smell and can detect sources of water up to 19 kilometres away.
No damage was reported to people or to the elephant, according to the local media. While the officials contacted by the BBC avoided “addressing the elephant in the room and were unable to confirm the story.”
Many have denounced the use of animals in circuses on social media, a practice which has been banned in most countries. However, in Italy a law was introduced, last year, to reportedly phase out the use of animals in circuses.
