Sabu, a five-ton elephant, escaped from the circus and wandered through Zurich last night, terrifying locals but doing surprisingly little damage. Sabu swam in Lake Zurich and was filmed strolling through the city's shopping and financial districts.

Sabu's traveling circus was loading him into a truck when he bolted. He swam through Lake Zurich, then wandered up the Swiss city's main Bahnhofstrasse, past the train station and Credit Suisse.

It took an hour to re-capture Sabu. Authorities were amazed at how little damage he did: "The elephant was walking slowly and calmy through the city. He didn't run, didn't chase anyone, he caused very little damage and no one was hurt."

There is some confusion about Sabu's gender. Either way, the runaway pachyderm is back in the custody of his trainers, performing for peanuts in the traveling circus. Never will he forget the day he swam to his freedom, beneath a rainy Swiss sky. [Telegraph, HuffPo]