First off, we believe wild animals should not be kept in zoos. Chimpanzees, for instance, should be free to live in their natural habitats.
No matter how much space they are given or how well they are cared for, it’s always better for them to be in the wild.
With that in mind, we wanted to share this rescue video with you. It shows a man ignoring zoo warnings and jumping into an enclosure to save a chimpanzee.
Now that’s what we call heroism!
The story goes back to 1990 when a chimpanzee named Jo-Jo fell into a man-made moat in the Detroit Zoo’s chimpanzee enclosure. He had been chased by a more aggressive chimp and tried to jump over the fence meant to keep him out of the water.
Jo-Jo panicked, struggling to stay afloat as he was drowning. At the same time, about 10 visitors looked on, helpless, as he fought for his life.
One of them was 33-year-old truck driver Rick Swope, who was at the zoo with his wife and three kids. When he saw the panic in Jo-Jo’s eyes, Rick knew he had to do something. Without thinking, he jumped into the water to save the chimpanzee.
Keep in mind that chimpanzees are up to five times stronger than humans. Jo-Jo was also in an area that was off-limits to zoo visitors, and there were other chimps in the enclosure who could have turned aggressive at any moment.
But Rick didn’t hesitate. His family watched as he struggled to pull Jo-Jo to safety. It wasn’t easy — at one point, Rick lost his grip, and Jo-Jo sank under the water. But Rick tried again and was eventually able to pull the 200-pound chimp to dry land.
When Jo-Jo was finally out of the water, he was in bad shape, but he was alive. Rick had saved him.
“He was looking at me. I think he knew what was going on,” Rick later told the Chicago Tribune.