A circus crowd was left horrified as an animal trainer was trampled to death by his own elephant, which then escaped and rampaged through the streets.

Tyke, a 20-year-old African bush elephant, was being forced to perform with Circus International at the Neal Blaisdell Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii, when the tragedy unfolded.

During the show on 20 August 1994, audience members saw her kicking what appeared to be a dummy.

One eyewitness told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: “We thought it was part of the show.”

They soon realised that Tyke was trampling her handler, Allen Campbell, causing the terrified crowd to flee for the exits, reports the Mirror.

As chaos ensued in the arena, Tyke fled the building and ran into the busy streets of downtown Honolulu.

She chased pedestrians and crashed into vehicles, causing both spectators and drivers to scramble for safety.

Authorities attempted to subdue her, but the situation escalated.

Police fired multiple gunshots into the giant animal as she rampaged through several city blocks, before she finally collapsed from her wounds.

However, she didn’t die instantly – the elephant eventually succumbed to severe nerve damage and brain haemorrhage.

Animal rights groups used her tragic death as a rallying cry against wild-animal acts in circuses.

Tyke’s story helped push Hawaii toward reform, culminating in a ban on exotic wild animals in travelling shows.

Following the Moscow International Circus’s reversal of its decision to feature performing animals in one of its shows in 2014, PETA released a statement saying: “As the world saw 20 years ago when Tyke lashed out and died bellowing on the street, forcing frustrated animals to perform in circuses can have deadly consequences.

“PETA supporters and kind people around the world will be relieved to hear that the Moscow International Circus is putting safety and kindness first and going animal-free in Hawaii.”

Tyke had previously attempted to escape on multiple occasions. Prior to the devastating incident in Honolulu, she had already broken free twice in 1993 – first at the Jaffa Shrine Center in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and subsequently at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot.

During these episodes, she inflicted substantial damage and frightened spectators, indicating a consistent pattern of distress.

The deceased elephant is commemorated with a memorial plaque at the pet cemetery in Valley of the Temples Cemetery in Honolulu. Earlier this year, a business executive died after being trampled by an elephant at his property in South Africa.

FC Conradie, the 39 year old co-owner of a private game reserve in the Western Cape, sustained fatal injuries when the animal charged at him on July 22. Emergency medical personnel attended the scene where he was tragically declared dead.