Escaped Circus Elephant in Enid has Escaped Before

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

ENID, Oklahoma -- The circus elephant that broke free and charged an SUV earlier this week in Enid has escaped before.

Last summer in the town of WaKeeney, Kansas, two elephants escaped from a circus after being spooked by tornado sirens. One of those elephants, Kamba, is the same elephant believed to have collided with Bill and Deena Carpenter's SUV on Highway 81 in Enid.

Deborah Robinson is a captive elephant specialist with the animals rights group In Defense of Animals.

"To me this is an indication this guy should not have animals," Robinson said.

Court documents filed by the United States Department of Agriculture in July revealed Kamba's trainer, Doug Terranova, has had several violations regarding his elephants. Terranova is specifically listed in at least 15 violations of the Animal Welfare Act involving animals in his care.

Read the USDA's complaint against Doug Terranova

One violation stated: "Doug Terranova failed to handle animals as carefully as possible in a manner that does not cause behavioral stress, physical harm, or unnecessary discomfort."

And that is just one of the many reasons Robinson said she would like to see the elephant taken out of Terranova's care.

"We've asked the USDA to confiscate the animals based on what's happened," Robinson said. "They are in danger every minute they are with this guy."

According to a Web site that tracks elephant births and deaths, an elephant named Moxie died of a viral disease called EMC in 2007. That elephant was listed under the care of Terranova's business, Animal Encounters.

Terranova could not be reached for comment.

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