From Don Covington

City man who ran away as teen returns with circus April 16, 2013 By Kelly Cernetich (kcernetich@altoonamirror.com) , The Altoona Mirror Altoona, Pennsylvania Thirty years ago, an Altoona man ran away to join the circus. On Monday, he was back as the elephant trainer working with the massive animals in the Jaffa Shrine Circus in town all week. Chip Arthurs was 15 when he left town for his big top dreams. The Amazing Sadrak, a contortionist, performs in the first show of the Royal Hanneford Circus on Monday at the Jaffa Shrine Center. "I lied a little" to join underage, he said, but he only kept his cover for a short time until his family was informed of his whereabouts. Family life wasn't great, he said, but the prospect of working with animals "was exciting for me." "For what it's worth," he said, "it's a success story." Arthurs started off with tigers, eventually working with elephants. All of the 28 he owns are Asian elephants, despite performing to Toto's "Africa" as the circus' penultimate act. Most are in their early 40s or 50s. Elephants can live 70 to 80 years, Arthurs said, so although he won't be acquiring any more elephants for performances, for both legal reasons and due to increased costs, they have many more years of entertainment left in them. "But I don't know if I do," Arthurs laughed.