Jumping into a zoo enclosure can be extremely dangerous, but in this particular situation, was for a life-saving cause. When truck driver Rick Swope decided to visit the Detroit Zoo, he’d never thought it would a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Rick was with his wife and their three children. The family was watching the chimp exhibit, when suddenly a fight between two male chimps started. It’s when Rick did something no one else would ever do!
As a result, one of the two animals, Jo-Jo, accidentally fell into a deep moat. Since chimps are unable to swim, the male’s life was in a real danger. Without even thinking at his own safety, Rick jumped in and grabbed the 135-pound animal. “It was the most pitiful thing I ever saw,” Rick said “This chimp had his hands up and his head was sticking out of the water. He was looking at the crowd. It was like he wanted someone to rescue him.”
The zoo staff couldn’t believe their eyes and they warned him to get out as quickly as possible, while the other visitors cheered. “People were showing me which direction he was in,” Swope recalled. “The water was so dirty you couldn’t see through it. I swam around on the bottom. Finally I found him.”
Our hero, just pulled the chimp onto the shore, and lifted him over a cable designed to keep chimps from slipping in the water. “He was pretty lifeless, but you could see he was still alive. He was looking at me. I think he knew what was going on,” Rick said. Fortunately, the chimp realized Rick is saving his life, so it never attempt to harm the man. Asked why he decided to jump in and save the chimp’s life, Rick said:
“Well, you see, I happened to look into his eyes, and it was like looking into the eyes of a man, and the message was, ‘Won’t anybody help me?’
Watch this dramatic rescue in the video below!