Elephant is killed and four injured after truck overturns on motorway
AN elephant has died and four others are recovering from injuries after a circus truck tipped over on a major road in Spain.
The incident provoked an outcry among animal rights activists.
The truck overturned on the road linking Albacete with Murcia after overtaking another long vehicle, said Albacete’s Civil Guard spokesman Jose Amado. He said the movement of the five female elephants could have destabilised the truck.
The driver was not injured, but one of the elephants died at the scene.
The four surviving elephants – three with minor cuts and one with injured legs – are being treated by vets at a public facility before being moved to a clinic.
Mr Amado said: “With five unpredictable animals, each one weighing three to four tons, accidents can happen no matter how much care has been taken.”
Photos and videos shared by police and authorities showed the elephants standing on the road and being lifted on to trucks by huge industrial cranes.
A section of the road near Pozo Canada, south of Albacete, remained shut for nearly three hours until the dead elephant was also removed.
Animal rights groups said the accident is the latest example of how the nature of the circus business is a danger to the physical and behavioural needs of wild animals.
The Association of United Circuses said the truck had been cleared for the transportation of animals by authorities and vets approved the journey.