Will Runaway Elephant Bolt Through Roswell Next? PETA Warns Families of Circus Danger
For Immediate Release:
March 5, 2026
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
An elephant who has attempted to escape from her abusers at least four times is now being hauled to Roswell. Viola, called the “Most Desperate Elephant in the World,” is being forced to perform by the Jordan World Circus, which plans to use the 56-year-old elephant during its show at the Eastern New Mexico Fairgrounds on Friday. PETA supporters will gather outside the event to urge Jordan World Circus to end its cruel animal acts—for the animals’ safety and the public’s, with signs reading, “Chained. Beaten. Desperate. Free Viola the Elephant.”
Viola was taken from her home and family in Asia as a baby and has spent five decades in chains under the notorious Carson & Barnes Circus—which supplies elephants to the Jordan World Circus—and is forced to perform grueling and painful tricks in shows, even while suffering from chronically swollen feet and other painful, debilitating ailments.
“While some people run away to join the circus, Viola the elephant keeps trying to run away from the circus, where she’s spent a lifetime suffering in chains and servitude,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Jordan World Circus to end these archaic and cruel animal acts, and for everyone to stay away until they do.”
Where: Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, 2055 SE Main St. (outside the main entrance), Roswell
When: Friday, March 6, 6 p.m.
Why: In nature, elephants live in matriarchal herds, protect one another, and share mothering responsibilities for the herds’ babies. Video footage shows the head trainer for Carson & Barnes Circus—which has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act—instructing trainers to sink sharp, steel-tipped bullhooks into elephants’ flesh and twist them until the animals scream.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
