URGENT RESCUE SAVES ELEPHANT THAT TOPPLED OVER AT L.A. ZOO.

Byline: Eric Leach Daily News Staff Writer

Firefighters and Los Angeles Zoo workers labored two hours Sunday morning hoisting an African elephant to her feet after the pachyderm was discovered lying in an awkward position and struggling to stand up.

``Because of their incredible size and the pressure on their organs, they can suffocate when they are down,'' said Lora LaMarca, a spokeswoman at the zoo explaining why the rescue effort was so urgent.

An animal rights activist went to the zoo saying she believed the elephant had collapsed because it had been ill with tuberculosis and that the zoo should close its elephant exhibit. But zoo officials said there were no signs of mistreatment in the case and that tuberculosis apparently had nothing to do with Sunday's incident.

Ramiro Isaza, a veterinarian at the zoo who directed the operation, said the elephant, Tara, appeared to be in good condition Sunday afternoon and would be monitored around the clock for the next few days.

A number of elephants at the zoo, including Tara, are being examined for signs of tuberculosis after one of them tested positive for the respiratory disease, but Isaza said Tara's blood tests were inconclusive. ``To the best of my knowledge she has not shown clinical signs indicative of tuberculosis,'' he said.

``She had gone through a weight loss period about four months ago. She lost around 700 pounds, but she weighs about 7,500 pounds,'' he said. ``She appears to have regained some of what she lost.''

Isaza and LaMarca said zoo officials were uncertain why Tara had lost weight.

``She has been walking around fine, no signs of lameness or injury,'' Isaza said Sunday afternoon. ``She was found to be free of bruises and scrapes. It makes me very happy. The rescue team from the Fire Department was incredibly professional. I have nothing but praise for them.''

Jim Wells, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said Los Angeles firefighters used a truck equipped with heavy lifting equipment to hoist Tara.

Zoo keepers found Tara down when they checked her compound Sunday at about 7 a.m.

Isaza said the elephant apparently slipped or lay down to go to sleep, and then couldn't get herself back up.

``She was in a position where her feet were heading uphill slightly and she was in a small area with several walls. She was in a position where it was difficult to get up and was tired because she had been trying to get up for a while,'' he said.

Another African elephant named Hannibal died at the Los Angeles Zoo in 1992 during an attempted move to a zoo in Mexico. Hannibal knelt in a crate and would not come to his feet in spite of attempts to hoist him up. He died from cardiopulmonary collapse.

Still another elephant named Calle was shipped in April to the San Francisco Zoo after it injured a keeper at the Los Angeles Zoo last fall.

Calle, a 30-year-old Asian elephant, tested positive for tuberculosis and is drawing widespread sympathy in San Francisco since it was revealed that she won't swallow her medicine.

Anne, a 33-year-old Asian elephant at the Los Angeles Zoo, died in March from salmonella and showed traces of TB.

``The L.A. Zoo should not have elephants,'' said Fullerton resident Jane Garrison of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who went to the zoo Sunday to meet with the zoo director.

Garrison said she believes that Tara has been ill with tuberculosis and that this led to her collapse. She said she thinks zoo officials are not being open about Tara's condition.

Garrison said the zoo should use money it plans to spend testing and treating its elephants for tuberculosis to send them to a better facility.

LaMarca said the elephant compound at the zoo consists of an elephant barn and yard on more than an acre and that Tara, who was free to roam around the area, was found on a pathway leading into the barn.

Officials said the Fire Department got two large straps underneath Tara and then hooked them up to a crane that could lift her from the top. Hay bales were used to help prop her until she could get her legs under her and stand up.

``It was a very stressful and scary situation for her to be in. It's a very strange feeling for an elephant to have something pick you up. She was agitated, but did not do anything aggressive,'' Isaza said.

He said the animal was given intravenous fluids and steroids to help her recover from the shock.

Officials said Tara is approximately 38 years old. Elephants in her situation tend to live about 40 to 60 years, Isaza said.

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PHOTO City firefighters watch as Tara the elephant is helped back on her feet Sunday morning after zoo keepers found her lying down and stuck in her pen.

Associated Press