Hippo Houdini gives circus the slip, wanders streets of Spanish city

PALOS DE LA FRONTERA, Spain, May 5 (UPI) -- A hippopotamus weighing in at more than 3,000 pounds was found wandering the streets of a Spanish city after escaping from a nearby circus.

Witnesses said the hippo took a powder from the circus Wednesday night and wandered the streets of Palos de la Frontera, where bystanders snapped photos and videos of the unusual pedestrian.

The hippo was seen getting close to traffic and wandering past pedestrians without incident.

There were no reports of injuries resulting from the hippopotamus' time on the loose.

The animal was returned to the circus, which did not divulge the details of the hippo's Houdini-like escape.