TWO elephants saved the day Tuesday after an 18-wheeler in which they were being hauled from New Orleans to Texas in the U.S. nearly tipped over were it not for their help.

    They were two of three Asian elephants in the truck being transported from Florida to a circus in Dallas when the driver pulled over on I-49 in Natchitoches Parish around 7 a.m.

    When mud caused the long-haul truck to begin to tip onto its side, a trainer had the bright idea of enlisting the pachyderms for help.

    Video reveals him coaxing one of the beasts out of the truck as the other is already standing with its head anchoring the truck’s trailer.

    When members of the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s department arrived, “they were astounded to find two elephants keeping the 18-wheeler from overturning,” reads the department’s official statement.

    A local wrecker was soon enlisted to pull out the 2,000 Kenworth 18-wheeler and no citations were issued.

    But where they were headed doesn’t sit well for many.

    In fact, the nation’s largest circus, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, is ending its iconic elephant acts due to growing public concern about how the endangered creatures are treated.

    The circus’ parent company, Feld Entertainment, told The Associated Press exclusively that the acts would be phased out by 2018.

    Feld’s 43 elephants will live at the company’s 200-acre (80-hectare) Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida.

    Twenty-nine animals are already there, and the other 14 will arrive as they are phased out from the circus.

    Elephant acts have been showcased by Ringling for more than a century and have often been featured in its posters.(SD-Agencies)