News & Current Events
Truck Driver Leaps Into Zoo Enclosure To Save Drowning Chimpanzee Jo-Jo
Signs cautioning visitors not to approach the animals’ enclosures are frequently posted at zoos. But that didn’t stop one courageous truck driver from rescuing a chimpanzee by jumping inside one.
Rick Swope, his wife, and their three kids were at the Detroit Zoo admiring the animals when they saw two male chimps fighting.
Jo-Jo, one of the less combative chimps, slipped into the deep moat while attempting to avoid the battle. People were still oblivious to what was happening and were just staring at the poor animal helplessly as he began to drown.
Then, without any hesitation, Swope leaped into the sea. Retrieving the monkey to safety, he grabbed him. The amazing event that played out in front of the spectators left them in utter disbelief.
“It was the most pitiful thing I ever saw,” Swope said after the rescue. “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.”
During the rescue, the zoo staff kept telling Swope to get out, but he never thought of doing that without Jo-Jo. “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.”
Fortunately, Jo-Jo was able to cross a cable that Swope had put in place to prevent chimps from slipping in the moat.
“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,” Swope said.
Swope seemed to be saying “thank you” as Jo-Jo gazed directly into his eyes. He knew that day a man had saved his life.
“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?’”
According to zoo employee Jane Goodall, Jo-Jo’s existence wasn’t simple. After his mother was slain by poachers when he was quite young, he was sent to the zoo.
“[But] if you see that look with your eyes, and you feel it in your heart, you have to jump in and try to help,” she said.
Without a doubt, this is among the most spectacular rescues you have ever witnessed. What an amazing man Swope is. His bravery is demonstrated by the fact that he put his life at danger for an animal.
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