Cops Round Up 3 Escaped Elephants In Newmarket

They say an elephant never forgets. And it's likely York Regional Police and some startled early risers won't be able to forget what they saw in a Newmarket neighbourhood early Thursday morning - three elephants wandering loose around the area. Cops responded to Yonge and Eagle Sts. around 2:30am, when some night owl residents spotted what appeared to be several pachyderms taking a stroll outside their doors.

One appeared to be enjoying a late night snack, munching a few leaves off a tree. Another was found idling lazily at a nearby corner. And the third wasn't far from home - the grounds where the Garden Brothers Circus was being set up. The troupe is in town to play nine shows in Newmarket and the creatures, each weighing some 8,000 pounds, got loose from their pens and began a minor jaunt through the nighttime streets of the city.

Trainers were called and packed their trunks, taking the animals back where they belonged. Apparently, the super smart performers actually understand a few words of English, so when they were told to return home, they dutifully turned around and trudged back to circus H.Q. There were no injuries and no real property was damaged during the unscheduled elephant walk.

It now appears Suzy, Bunny and Minny (who fell asleep before actually leaving the property) all got out because of the failure of an electric fence that was supposed to keep them from going anywhere. And that's the reason the circus came to town early - very, very early - in Newmarket.