COLUMBUS, OH (AP).- A 10,000-year-old mastodon was mostly cooperative Thursday as an eight-person crew at the Ohio Historical Society began the delicate operation of taking the skeleton apart so it can be reassembled in a more flattering position — with the beast’s rear end not so prominent. Workers started by removing the front and hind legs from the mastodon, which is supported by a steel bracket. The head and tusks were to follow. “We’ve not had any catastrophes, which is always very comforting,” said Bob Glotzhober, the museum’s senior curator of natural history. The mastodon move was undertaken to provide a better view of the exhibit. The giant rear had been greeting museum visitors coming in through a lower-level entry that later became the main entrance to provide better access for the disabled. The project began on schedule Thursday