LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An 8,000-pound elephant in a pond at the Los Angeles Zoo couldn't get up, and it took the fire department to get her back on her feet.
Handlers found Tara, who is in her 40s, in the shallow pond at the zoo Saturday morning and she appeared unable to get to her feet.
``Well, Tara's not one who lies down on a regular basis,'' mammal curator Jennie McNary said. ``I think she was in a position where it was difficult for her to get up.''
Firefighters and zoo animal handlers used a tow truck, crane and a forklift to move Tara. It took them nearly three hours to get two thick straps around the massive mammal to lift her.
Tara was not hurt, zoo officials said.
It was a new experience for firefighters.
``When I go to work in the morning, I'm going to start taking a handful of peanuts with me,'' said Carl Butler, a fire battalion chief.
