She crushed her trainer to death and broke free and onto the streets of the city before being shot by the police. Like Tyke, she had to be shot to death by the police to protect the public. Both elephants had a history of violent behavior. She then ran away and was contained by circus personnel. Earlier during the same performance, Luna had been giving rides to circus patrons.
Most experts agree that when elephants rampage they do so because they are angry.
Those who urge banning the use of elephants in circuses and for giving rides believe that it is the nature of captivity that leads to violent behavior. They argue that captivity is unnatural, that captive elephants experience radically different lifestyles than their wild counterparts. Because of their intelligence, they are easily bored by their limited man-made surroundings, which usually includes frequent caged travel and being chained to prevent escape. Additionally they may be subjected to physical and psychological abuse during the course of their training to perform tricks or merely as a condition of their captivity. Single elephants in captivity are prone to develop severe mental disorders.