Many people like to think of themselves as animal lovers, but just how far are they willing to go to show it? Well, if they’re anything like Rick Swope, they’ll go as far as it takes. Swope proved his selfless love for animals nearly 30 years ago when he put his own life at risk to rescue a drowning chimp at his local zoo.

When Swope realized the chimp was in danger of drowning, he wasted no time in diving in after him.

The truck driver had been visiting the Detroit Zoo with his wife and 3 kids in 1990.

The family had been observing the chimpanzees there, one of which was named Jo-Jo. He was playing with another chimp when the two suddenly began to scuffle. When Jo-Jo tried to flee the other primate, though, he got tripped up and fell from their play structure into a mote that surrounds their 1-acre island.

“We watched the chimpanzees for probably about half an hour or so and we were just getting ready to go when I heard a splash. I just caught out of the corner of my eye this chimpanzee flying through the air,” recalls Swope in an interview with Deseret News.

Everyone stared in shock as the chimp fell into the water. Chimpanzees don’t know how to swim and generally do their best to avoid deep waters. Jo-Jo, though, wasn’t able to avoid his fall and it was clear that he was beginning to drown.

Swope suddenly realized that no one planned on helping the chimp out. If he didn’t act soon, Jo-Jo was going to drown right in front of him.

“Everyone in the whole place was just standing around watching this monkey drown. When he went down the second time I knew I had to do something,” Swope contines.

Even though Zookeepers warned Swope against attempting to rescue the chimp, he knew that was something he simply couldn’t do.

The truck driver immediately scrambled across the 4-foot security barrier and dove into the waters, tying his fate to Jo-Jo’s for better or worse. He pulled the limp body of the chimp back to the island shore, unsure if his rescue attempt had been successful.

“He was pretty lifeless. When I brought him out of there I wasn’t sure he was still alive,” he said.

Thankfully, though, Jo-Jo began breathing again and was going to be perfectly fine.

The truck driver’s heroic actions that day earned him a brief slot in the international limelight for his bravery.

One organization in particular, though, was left permanently touched by his willingness to act. World-renowned animal rights activist and hero in her own right, Jane Goodall, spoke of Swopes heroism 15 years later in 2005 at a conference for Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She recalled a conversation that took place between Swope and her institute’s Director at the time, saying:

“He called up Rick Swope and he said, ‘That was a very brave thing you did. You must have known it was dangerous. Everyone was telling you. What made you do it?’ And 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?’“

Goodall closed her remarks with a sincere call to action to all those who know the importance of life, both human and animal:

“If you see that look with your eyes, and you feel it in your heart, you have to jump in and try to help.“

To learn more about Swope’s incredible feat of heroism, watch the video below.

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Source: Shareably