On March 19th, 2024, the world was shocked when a small herd of elephants were spotted roaming the streets of Paris, France. According to eyewitnesses, around 15 elephants of varying sizes broke free from a traveling circus that had set up their big top just outside the city. The ringmaster, Pierre Dubois, said the animals must have pushed open their cage doors during the night while the circus was quiet.

By morning, the elephants were wandering around the 16th arrondissement, seeming entirely unfazed by the architecture and traffic that was certainly unfamiliar to them. One particularly daring pachyderm decided to take a tour of the Eiffel Tower, and was even seen waving trunk at stunned onlookers from the second level observation deck! The Parisian police tried in vain to corral the wayward beasts, but had little success due to the slippery pavement and lack of experience with elephant wrangling.

After hours of wandering, snacking on trees and fountains, and generally causing chaos, the international wildlife rescue organization ELEPHANTS Sans Frontières received word of the incident. They immediately sent their top elephant tranquilizer, Dr. Martine LeClair, to Paris to assist. With careful darting and steady reassuring tones in multiple elephant languages, Dr. LeClair and her team were able to sedate the herd and transport them safely back to the circus. When interviewed afterwards, all she would say was "magnifique." The city of Paris breathed a collective sigh of relief, and the elephants were given a stern talking to by their mahouts. Just another unusual day in this great global village we call home!