For those standing near the chimpanzee exhibit, a typical day at the Detroit Zoo quickly turned pandemic. The audience was mesmerized as the two chimpanzees giggled and chased each other around the area, but then everything changed.
Rick Swope was standing right in front of the siege and decided to step in and help instead of watching from the sidelines.
Source Image / Story Source: Animal Planet – YouTube Videos
One of the chimpanzees slipped and fell into the moat surrounding the exhibit just as the other began to chase each other around the trees of the enclosure. Apparently the chimpanzee was fighting to keep afloat, but zoo staff refused to assist him.
Rick told Chicago Tribune How desperate the situation was and how scared the animal looked.
“It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. This chimp raised his arms and head out of the water. He was looking at the crowd. It was like he wanted someone to rescue him.”
Rick realized that no one else was willing to act, so he did. He explained what happened in one underwater with Chicago Tribune.
Source Image / Story Source: Animal Planet – YouTube Videos
People show me which direction he is in. The water is so dirty you can’t see through it. I swim around on the bottom. I finally found him…
He’s pretty lifeless, but you can see he’s still alive. He is looking at me. I think he knew what was going on… The monkey never tried to do anything to me.
I’m thinking, what do you have to do now? Do you do mouth on a monkey? I remember that he might bite me if I did.
Then I looked up and saw another man baring his teeth down the hill. I don’t know if he was after the monkey or after me, but I got away with it. “
Rick says he doesn’t seek attention as people surround him as soon as Rick leaves the cage. He just couldn’t bear to watch an innocent creature pass before his eyes!
Source Image / Story Source: Animal Planet – YouTube Videos
This man is a HERO! You will see in the video below. We need more people like him.
Check out this GRIPPING story below about a hero and a chimp worth saving. Please ‘SHARE’ this story with friends or family members!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqbclCNriPo
