Signs are generally placed up around the animals’ enclosures at zoos to caution people not to get too close. But it didn’t stop one brave truck driver from jumping in one to save a chimp’s life.
Rick Swope, his wife, and their three kids were at the Detroit Zoo gazing at the animals when they saw two male chimps get into a fight.
Jo-Jo, one of the chimps that was less violent and tried to stay out of the fight, fell into the deep moat. People were just standing there, not knowing what was going on, as the poor animal started to drown.
Swope then jumped into the sea without thinking about it. He took the monkey and brought it back to safety. What they witnessed astonished everyone who was watching.
“It was the saddest thing I ever saw,” Swope said after the rescue. The monkey had his hands up and his head was above the water. He was looking at the folks. He looked like he wanted someone to help him.
While they were trying to save him, the zoo workers kept telling Swope to leave, but he never thought about doing it without Jo-Jo’s support. Swope recalled, “People were telling me which way he was going.” It was too dirty to see through the water. I swam about on the ground. I finally found him.
Swope was able to transport Jo-Jo over a chain that was supposed to keep chimps from falling into the moat, which was a good thing.
He appeared quite dead, yet you could tell he was still alive. He was looking at me. “I think he knew what was going on,” Swope said.
When Jo-Jo looked Swope in the eyes, it seemed like he was saying thank you. He was aware that a man had saved his life that day.
“Well, I just happened to glance into his eyes, and it was like gazing into the eyes of a guy. “Will anyone help me?” was the message.
Jane Goodall, who works at the zoo, commented about how hard Jo-Jo’s life was. Poachers killed Jo-Jo’s mother when he was quite young, so the zoo took him in.
“But if you see that look and feel it, you have to help,” she said.
This is definitely one of the most exciting rescues you’ve ever witnessed. Swope is a great person. He showed how brave he was by putting his life on the line for an animal.
