Elephant loose in residential Baraboo neighborhood was ‘having fun’

Trainer brings pachyderm back to Circus World

Site staff by Site Contributor

Credit: Jaime Lynn

Credit: Jaime Lynn

Credit: Jaime Lynn





An elephant got loose from Circus World in a residential neighborhood in Baraboo early Friday morning.

The incident happened just before 5 a.m. in the southeast side of Baraboo, Chief Mark Schauf said.

PHOTOS: Elephant entertains itself in Baraboo family’s backyard

Circus World spokesman Dave Saloutos said the elephant, named Kelly, was freed by her pachyderm partner, Isla, who used her trunk to disengage a restraint.

Saloutos said Kelly lumbered across the shallow Baraboo River and wandered into a neighboring backyard where she unlatched a gate and munched on some marigolds during her couple hours of freedom.

According to the Sauk County Dispatch center, the elephant wandered around the neighborhood for a few minutes before law enforcement got in touch with the pachyderm’s trainer.

The trainer quickly caught up with the elephant and escorted her back to Circus World.

While Kelly was out, she spent some time in a Baraboo family’s backyard, helping herself to a few vegetation snacks, playing with pool water, digging a hole and leaving behind several visible footprints in the grass.

Fawn Baxter, her 4-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old girl she was babysitting got their own little one-elephant show.

“(She) was very calm & just seemed to be having a little party of (her) own while tucked away in my backyard,” Baxter said. “We sat on the back deck the whole time and watched (her). (She) was very peaceful.”

Baxter said that as workers were taking Kelly back, she stopped to have a snack of Hosta plants. On the way into the yard, Kelly enjoyed some purple flowers that were planted outdoors, too.

“(She) seemed to be having so much fun,” Baxter said.

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