Elephants hold up tipping tractor-trailer in Louisiana

POWHATAN, La., March 25 (UPI) -- Louisiana deputies responding to a report of a stranded tractor-trailer said they were "astounded" to find two elephants keeping the vehicle from overturning.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office said deputies responded about 7:03 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a stranded tractor-trailer on Interstate 49, near Powhatan, and they arrived to find the truck had pulled onto the soft shoulder and ended up getting stuck.

The truck was leaning toward a ditch, but was being kept upright by two of its passengers -- elephants from the Shrine Circus.

"When deputies arrived on scene, they were astounded to find two elephants keeping the eighteen wheeler from overturning," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

The truck was carrying three circus elephants from New Orleans, where they performed during the weekend, to Frisco, Texas, where they are scheduled to perform Wednesday through Saturday. A local wrecker arrived to assist the pachyderms and it was able to pull the truck out of the mud and send it on its way.

The truck driver was not cited, deputies said.