From Don Covington

RBBB%20Capital%20Hill%202011, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Elephants and donkeys stroll across Capitol Hill By: CNN's Lindy Royce-Bartlett Washington DC (CNN) - On any given day photojournalists in Washington can be found chasing Democrats and Republicans alike around the halls of the U.S. Capitol. Tuesday, however, the political circus–was different. While most politicians have left town for the week, cameras were rolling as tourists and locals witnessed actual elephants and donkeys strolling across Capitol Hill. It was all part of the annual Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Pachyderm parade. The small donkeys, which don't regularly travel with the circus, seemed skittish next to the massive elephants that regularly march through towns across America. This year Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey celebrates circus legend PT Barnum's 200th birthday as they kick off 'Barnum 200.' The animals arrived in Washington via train Tuesday afternoon, and marched through the city, along with clowns and horses, en route to the Verizon Center, where they will perform later this week. – CNN's John Bodnar contributed to this story