An elephant managed to escape from the circus before wandering around a German town.

Stunned locals in the town of Neuwied in western Germany witnessed the African elephant, known as Kenia, saunter through the streets for a few hours on Wednesday before its handlers turned up to recapture it.

No one was harmed and no property was damaged in the incident.

Police received several alarmed calls from people who spotted the animal, however their only involvement was to halt traffic while the handlers took Kenia back into captivity.

The animal's trip around the town was described as a "short and peaceful excursion" by police, according to The Local.

Another German town was subjected to a more alarming ordeal involving exotic animals last week when a bear and five big cats escaped a zoo in the west of the country.

Residents of Luenebach were told to stay indoors after flooding was thought to have damaged the animals' cages, allowing them to escape.

Two lions, two tigers and a jaguar were recaptured after a drone was used to find them, however police were forced to shoot the bear dead.