Two elephants provided some unlikely roadside assistance when an 18-wheeler got stuck in mud alongside Interstate 49 in Louisiana, USA Today reported.

The truck was taking three pachyderms from New Orleans to Frisco, Texas, and its driver called Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's deputies for help when he was unable to continue his trip after pulling over.

The truck had been leaning toward a ditch but was being kept upright by two of its passengers -- elephants from the Shrine Circus, UPI detailed. The animals were scheduled to perform Wednesday through Saturday in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area.

"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 driver, who doubles as an elephant trainer, had walked the animals out of the cargo compartment and directed them to help prop up the vehicle, sheriff's Captain Tony Moran told Reuters in an interview.

"It's creative," said Moran, who said the responding deputies were "just astonished to see it." The driver was not cited for any infractions.

Once the vehicle could be stabilized, the driver walked the elephants back on board, using spoken commands, Moran said. The animals were unharmed and continued on their way.

In recent months, circus elephants have featured prominently in the news after the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus decided to eliminate its elephant acts, which had long been an integral part of the event billed as "The Greatest Show on Earth," Reuters noted.

The circus's 13 Asian elephants will live out their retirement at the Feld Entertainment's 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida, the company said.

Animal-rights groups have long accused circus entertainers of mistreating animals, and activists often appear outside venues to protest the use of elephants, the newswire explained. Ingrid Newkirk, the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, urged Feld to retire the pachyderms immediately -- and not, as planned, over the next three years.