People in Palos de la Frontera, a town in southern Spain, were given a massive surprise by a hippopotamus who escaped from the circus and plodded over a busy street on Wednesday.

No one is quite sure exactly how the poor animal managed his escape, but this unusual ‘jailbreak’ is certainly one more example of an animal who obviously would prefer NOT to be in the circus. Apparently, when he saw a perfect opportunity for freedom, he decided that the benefits far outweighed the risks!

Video frame / Youtube

Who can blame him? Circus animals usually live in stark conditions. They are often kept chained in cages and their lives are filled with the stress of constantly traveling, not to mention the inhumane methods in which circus animals are frequently trained in order to learn new tricks.

Video frame / Youtube

Unfortunately for this unfortunate fellow, his brief taste of freedom didn’t last very long. Local authorities and circus workers were able to round up the hippo and return him back to the relative safety of his enclosure at the circus.

Video frame / Youtube

The video below shows us the poor guy looking just a little lost as he wanders around wondering what he should do next. A crowd of onlookers watches the entire incident from afar.

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