Escaped circus elephant kills 65-year-old German man

This handout photo provided by the University of Sussex, taken in April 2011, shows a wild elephant in Amboseli National Park in Kenya reacting to sound played by scientists in experiments that show they can distinguish between human languages and genders. The intelligence of elephants has led to circuses using them in shows for generations. However, on Saturday,  June 13, 2015, a circus elephant escaped in Buchen, Germany, and killed a 65-year-old man. AP

BERLIN, Germany – An escaped circus elephant attacked and killed a 65-year-old German man as he was taking his usual morning walk on Saturday, police said.

The female elephant, named Baby, crossed paths with the man around 5:30 am (0330 GMT) and proceeded to attack him as he walked in the town of Buchen in southwest Germany.

An employee from the nearby circus, from which Baby had escaped, was able to calm the elephant and coax her back to the tent.

Animal rights group Peta, cited by German news agency DPA, said Baby had previously injured three other people including a child.

Police have opened an inquiry.