We are all familiar with those famous stories of the fireman who saved the cat from the burning house. What is less known are those times that animals have saved the lives of humans. Animals are remarkable. They can be a man’s best friend by providing comfort, company and love, but more importantly, they could use this love and their instinctual behaviors to save our very lives. Such courageous acts happen more often than one might think. Check out some real life heroic stories below:
Schnautzie was just a six month old kitten when she woke her sleeping owner up by sitting on her chest and tapping her nose with her paw. This was Schnautzie’s way of letting her owner know that there was a gas leak in the house. When the owner awoke, she heard a roaring sound coming from the bathroom and found a broken gas pipe in their home that was filling their basement with deadly fumes. If it was not for Schnautzie, the whole house could have been in flames.
Joann Altsman had a heart attack and collapsed to the ground. Her daughter’s pot-bellied pig, Lulu, knew that she was in danger and rushed out of the house to get help. Lulu lied down in the street in order to stop traffic. The passerby’s did not get the hint and Lulu returned to the house several times to check up on Joann. Finally, someone had noticed that something was going on and followed the determined pig into the house. 911 was called and Joann’s life was saved. The doctors had said that if she had arrived to the hospital just 15 minutes later they would not have been able to save her life. Lulu has been a celebrity ever since.
Chihuahuas are known for their yappy behavior, but who would have thought that this behavior could be used to save someone’s life?! In 2008, a 13-pound Chihuahua named Chi Chi was at the beach with his owners when he began to go berserk. He leaped out of his chair, started to drag the beach chair, and began to send out an alarming noise. Chi Chi had spotted a storm surge about 100 yards away and saw two elderly ladies who were in danger of being washed out. Chi Chi’s owners ran to the rescue and pulled the ladies out of the riptide. Chi Chi’s owners were amazed with their little pup.
When a child got away from this mother and fell 20 feet deep into the concrete ape pit at the Brookfield Zoo, Binti Jua, carrying her own baby, gently picked up the unconscious boy, cradled him in her arms and protected him from the other gorillas. When the zookeepers had come to rescue the boy, Binti handed him over safely. Primates, such as Binti, have been known to help hurt and lost animals of other species.
When a surfer decided to spend a nice day out with his friends surfing a monster white shark came out of nowhere and attacked the surfer. The shark, estimated to be 12-15 feet long, had attacked his leg and peeled off the skin on his back. A group of bottle nosed dolphins came to the rescue and formed a protective ring around the surfer. The dolphins helped him get to the shore safely so he could immediately be brought to the hospital.
During the 2004 tsunami in Thailand a 4-year old elephant saved an 8-year old girl Amber. As a big wave hit, the elephant took Amber on its back and ran for higher ground. The elephant protected Amber from the waves and the impact of the high pressure waters. If it was not for the elephant, Amber would not have had a chance for survival.