Elephants Rig Louisiana: Circus Pachyderms Prevent 18-Wheeler From Tipping Over

The driver of an 18-wheeler enlisted the help of elephants to hold up a rig that was stuck in Louisiana. Tuesday, police in Natchitoches Parish were called to help rescue a tractor-trailer that got stuck in the mud. When they arrived a pair of pacyhderms were supporting the big rig with their elephant bulk and preventing it from tipping over until a tow truck arrived, according to a Sport Act report.

It’s not everyday that cops are called to help pull out drivers who get into a pickle alongside the road. But when they do, officers are eager to help. Only this time, deputies were not expecting a roadside rescue in Louisiana to be conducted by elephants helping a stricken rig.

Reportedly, the driver of the truck, who also doubles as a circus trainer, pulled over along the shoulder and got bogged down in mud from a recent heavy downpour. Without any mechanical means to get out the rig out, and realizing it was in threat of tipping over, he hatched a MacGyver-type idea. The trainer coaxed two of the truck’s occupants out of the trailer compartment and then directed them to “prop up” the vehicle until help arrived.

It just so happened that the travelers with brute strength were elephants who had just left a show in New Orleans, Louisiana. The large mammals were headed to an event in Dallas, Texas, having left from Florida hours earlier.

In the end, the driver was pulled out of the mud safely, and the animals were reloaded on the truck and soon on the road again. The story went viral after the photos and video of the elephants holding up the rig in Louisiana went viral. There were no injuries and no citations issued to the driver.

[Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images]