Back in August of 1990, truck driver Rick Swope was enjoying a peaceful day with his wife and three kids at the Detroit Zoo. Stopping at the ape exhibit, Swope and other patrons were horrified to watch as a chimpanzee was chased into a moat that surrounded the exhibit by another chimp. The chimp, 18 year old Jo-Jo, helplessly thrashed about the water, begging the zookeepers and patrons to come to his aid. It was at this moment that Swope dove into the ape exhibit and came to Jo-Jo’s rescue.
As his fellow patrons cheered him on, a million thoughts raced through Swope’s mind. Not only are chimps five times stronger than humans, the enclosure was home to various other species of ape as well, animals that could quickly turn violent if they perceived Swope to be a threat.
Reaching Jo-Jo just in the nick the time, the truck driver turned hero pulled the chimp to the moat’s shore. Despite being a little shook-up, thanks to Swope’s quick actions, Jo-Jo survived the ordeal and made a full recovery. Ever modest, Swope later told reporters that he was no hero.
“It was no big deal, you know. It didn’t take an exceptional person to do it. If it did, I couldn’t have done it.”