From lions to gorillas, here are 8 animals that saved people’s lives!
8.
Ning Nong the Elephant In 2004, 8-year-old Amber Owen was on holiday
in Phuket, Thailand with her parents, where she grew attached to Ning-Nong, a 4-year-old
local tame elephant.
They spent a lot of Time together riding on the beach and eating bananas.
One day on one of their rides on the beach, the 2 friends noticed the water started receding.
People ran to the water line to Pick up all the fish that had been suddenly left flapping
on shore.
Ning Nong did the opposite and started running inland.
Amber held on tight, trying not to fall off the elephant, when soon after She felt the
rush of water as a tsunami had hit the beach.
Ning Nong waded through the rough waters and stopped along a stone wall long enough for
Amber to climb on top of it, where she was safe from the turmoil.
Shortly after, Her mom found her and brought her to safety, before a second wave came in.
She has no doubts that the current would have swept Amber and Ning Nong away.
There is no question that the Elephant's heroic struggles against the currents saved her life.
After the tsunami, Ning Nong was transferred to the Somnuk Elephant Camp in Kanchanaburi
where, according to the camp's owner, she Always wins the hearts of tourists who visit
the camp.
Last year, writer Michael Morpurgo adapted Amber and Ning Nong's story into a play.
7.
Dolphins Dolphins have been known to save people for
centuries, but this particular story is very intriguing.
In 2004, Lifeguard Rob Howes took his daughter and her two friends for a swim off the northern
coast of New Zealand, near the town of Whangarei.
It wasn't long until they Started to get surrounded by a pod of dolphins, circling them while
pushing them closer and closer together.
At first they thought the dolphins were being playful, but when they tried to break free,
Two of the bigger dolphins forced them back to the middle.
Howes was starting to get a bit worried, when finally he gravity of the situation became
clear.
Through the crystal clear water he noticed a 10-foot-long (3m) white shark cruising towards
them at full speed.
However, upon getting close, the shark got repelled by the group of dolphins and swam
away.
The girls were unaware of the danger at the time, as Howes did not mention the shark to
keep them calm.
The dolphins continued to circle the group for over 40 minutes, making sure the shark
was far gone before letting Howes and the girls swim to safety.
Dolphin expert Dr. Diana Reiss states that "Dolphins make conscious decisions about when
they intervene.
They weigh up the situation and are selective about who and in which circumstances they
help".
Long story short, if you ever find yourself in the ocean and a dolphin forces you to do
something, you better listen!
6.
Winnie the Cat It seems like people love cats more than they
love them, but this cat definitely proves otherwise.
In 2007 Winnie, a 14-year-old domestic shorthair, saved its family from certain death by carbon
monoxide poisoning.
Eric and Cathy Keesling and their son were asleep at 1:00 AM when The cat began jumping
up and down on their bed and meowing like crazy to wake them up.
Cathy was reluctant to get up but Winnie persisted.
She said that when she stood up she felt nauseous and dizzy.
She Tried to wake her husband but couldn’t as he was unconscious next to her and she
had trouble calling 911.
When the paramedics arrived they later found their 14-year-old son Michael unconscious
on the floor next to his room.
The whole family was Immediately given oxygen masks and rushed to the hospital, where they
made a full recovery.
Local authorities believe that had Winnie tried to warn them 5 minutes later, it might
have been too late.
It turns out that a Faulty gas-powered water pump in the basement caused the odorless and
deadly gas to build up.
Various animals have been known to sense natural disasters due to changes in the environment,
but this remains One of the few cases where they were able to sense carbon monoxide.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) named Winnie the
"Cat of the Year", and Reader's Digest featured Winnie as a Hero Pet of the Year in 2009.
You go Winnie!
5.
Sea lions Like dolphins, sea lions have Also been known
to aid humans or other animals in danger.
In 2000, 21-year-old Kevin Hines jumped off the Golden Gate bridge into the San Francisco
Bay to take his own life.
Hines suffered from Mental illnesses such as psychosis, bipolar disorder and depression
and heard voices instructing him to jump.
He miraculously survived the fall but suffered a severe spinal injury.
Due to the frigid waters, He was at great risk of hypothermia setting in.
It wasn't long until Hines noticed an animal swimming below him in the water, and he was
convinced that it was a shark, preparing to finish the job.
As it turned out, the creature was actually a sea lion, Circling around and pushing him
up to the surface to keep him afloat.
Bystanders that saw Hines make the jump believed that he was actually alone in the water or
that it was a seal that saved him, but He firmly upholds that it was in fact a sea lion.
Hines made a full recovery thanks to intensive surgery and physical therapy, and has written
a book about his experience and struggles with mental illness titled: "Cracked, not
broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt".
He also became a mental health speaker, sharing his story around the world to help other people
with suicidal thoughts.
4.
Lions While a lion Might not be the first animal
that you hope to come across when you need help, these lions have shown that they can
be nice cats as well!
In 2005, a 12-year-old girl in Ethiopia was abducted on her way home from school and held
captive for a week.
She was raped and severely beaten, as the men tried to force her into marriage.
Three lions heard the girl crying and whimpering and chased the abductors away.
They then stood guard for half a day until she was found by the Ethiopian police.
When they arrived the Lions disappeared into the forest, without harming the girl.
The girl was treated for shock and injuries she had suffered during her ordeal.
Wildlife expert Stuart Williams believes the Girl's crying may have sounded like the meowing
of a cub in danger, which would explain why the lions protected her instead of trying
to eat her.
If they had not come to protect her, things may have gotten a lot worse.
The lions in Ethiopia are famous for their large black manes and are the country's national
symbol.
Unfortunately, hunters still kill the animals for their skin.
Williams estimates that Only 1,000 Ethiopian lions remain in the wild.
3.
Mila the Beluga Whale In 2009, diver Yang Yun entered a freediving
contest at China's Harbin Polar Land, which required competitors to sink to the bottom
of an aquarium 20ft deep (6m) without any breathing equipment and Stay there as long
as possible amid the beluga whales.
When Yun tried to head to the surface, she found her legs were crippled by leg cramps
caused by the freezing temperatures.
Instead of going up, she Began to sink even deeper while choking on water.
Yun thought this was the end for her, when she suddenly felt an incredible force driving
her to the surface.
Mila the Beluga Whale Sensed Yun was drowning before the staff members did and rushed to
help.
She grabbed her leg and pushed her up, saving her life.
Mila is a very Sensitive animal that works very closely with humans, which probably explains
why she was so quick to help out.
Beluga whales are very intelligent creatures and among the first whales to interact with
humans.
They even have facial muscles that allow them to smile!
2.
Lulu the Pig Most people think pigs are only useful for
bacon, but what this pig did might surprise you!
In 1997, Jo Ann and her husband from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania agreed to baby-sit their
daughter's pot-bellied pig, Lulu.
They soon became best friends, which would later turn out to be very useful!
A year later, in August 1998, Jo suffered a heart attack while her husband was out of
town on a fishing trip.
She collapsed on the floor and yelled, but no one heard her cries for help, or paid any
attention to their dog barking.
Luckily for Jo, Lulu decided it was time for action and came up with a master plan.
She forced herself out of the yard, scraping herself in the process, leaving her skin torn
and bleeding.
She Ran to the nearest road where she laid down and played dead.
Shortly after, a driver stopped his car, concerned about Lulu's wounds, when she jumped up and
led the man to her trailer.
He immediately dialed 911 and Jo was taken to the Medical Center for open-heart surgery.
Doctors said that 15 more minutes could have been the difference between life and death.
Lulu later received the Tiffany Gold Hero's Medal from the American Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals.
Her story has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, People Magazine, and she
even made appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.
That is one successful pig!
1.
Binti Jua In May, 2016, a Toddler fell into a gorilla
enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.
A 17-year-old male gorilla named Harambe grabbed the boy and dragged him into shallow waters
in a moat within the enclosure.
An Emergency response team determined the boy’s life to be in danger and fatally shot
Harambe.
There is still much debate as to the silverback’s intentions and many believe that the gorilla
was Actually protecting the child instead of threatening it.
When this happened a very similar story came to light that happened in 1996 with a very
different outcome.
This time a 3-year-old fell 18 feet (5.5m) into the gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield
Zoo in Chicago.
The boy, who was unconscious, was picked up by a female gorilla named Binti Jua, which
means "daughter of sunshine".
To everyone’s surprise, she cradled the child protecting him from the other gorillas,
and carried him to a door, where rescuers and paramedics were able to take over.
She was carrying her own 17-month baby on her back at the time.
The boy suffered a broken hand and some cuts on his face and spent 4 days in the hospital.
Binti Jua is a Western Lowland gorilla, an endangered species of gorilla commonly found
in central and western Africa.
She is now 28 and still lives in the Brookfield Zoo, where She became a grandmother in August
2013.
Binti Jua was hailed a hero.
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