Ten Famous and Heroic Animals Who Saved a Life

It's not known why animals we've never bonded with come to our aid. Although some farm animals are close to their owners and some wild animals are more people friendly than others. Stories recounting how people were saved by an animal are amazing because no one expects them to be capable of understanding human need. In the long run, the why doesn't matter. This is a tribute to all heroic animals who saved a life.

Lulu, a Vietnamese potbellied pig knew something was wrong when her owner, Jo Ann Altsman suffered a major heart attack. Lulu ran to a nearby road and waited for a car to come by. When she saw one, she threw herself down in the middle of the road trying to get it to stop. When it didn't stop, she ran back to check on Jo Ann and then returned to the road. Forty-five minutes later, she finally got a young man to stop. Lulu led him to Jo Ann and he called for help. Jo Ann was rushed to the hospital where she recovered thanks to a heroic animal's actions.

Binti Jua, a Western Lowland female Gorilla, saved a 3 year old boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in 1996. Binti Jua carefully picked up the unconscious boy and carried him to a door where she waited for someone to come and take the child from her. The boy recovered after spending 4 days in the hospital. Binti Jua's baby, Koola, clung to her back during the rescue. Binti Jua's aunt was Koko who was famous for her ability to communicate with humans using sign language.

Mila, a Beluga whale, saved 26 year old Yang Yun during a diving competition in China. The competition was held in a large pool filled with frigid water and Beluga whales. Competitors sank to the bottom of the pool where they held their breath as long as they could before surfacing. Yang was fine, until she tried to surface. The freezing water had paralyzed her legs and she was drowning. Mila surprised everyone when she took one of Yang's legs in her mouth and gently pushed her to the surface. Mila is certainly a heroic animal who saved a life.

Watusi cattle are native to Africa with large horns that can grow up to 6 ft long. Janice Wolf runs a refuge in Arkansas and was in the back pasture with her cattle. With no warning, one of the calves suddenly stopped and blocked her from moving forward. Not understanding why the calf was acting this way, she tried to move it by taking hold of its horns. The calf stood firm and tossed his head, knocking her to the ground. Janice then saw a copper head snake directly in her path. If she had taken a couple more steps, she would have stepped on it and most likely been bit.

Willie is a South American Quaker parrot and lives with his owner, Megan Howard, in Denver, Colorado. In 2008, she was babysitting in her own home and stepped out of the kitchen where 2 year old Hannah Kuusk was eating breakfast. Some how, Willie knew Hannah was in trouble and screamed over and over "Mama, baby" and loudly flapped his wings to get Megan's attention. When she rushed into the kitchen, Hannah's face was blue. Megan performed the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging the stuck food that had blocked Hannah's airway. Willie was awarded the Denver Red Cross chapter's Animal Lifesaver Award in March 2009. He's the first bird to receive this award which had been given only to dogs.

Mandy is a goat who never left her owner's side when he needed the help of a heroic animal. Noel Osbourne, 78, was working on his farm in Benalla, Australia when he was accidentally knocked into a pile of manure by a cow. He fractured his hip and was unable to move. Too far away for anyone to hear his yells for help, all he could do was wait for someone to find him. Mandy and his dog snuggled next to Noel to keep him warm through 5 cold nights. During the hot days, she stood over him to block the sun and provided him with enough milk to keep him from becoming dehydrated. He was finally found by friends and made a full recovery.

Ningnong the elephant saved 8 year old Amber Mason during the Thailand 2004 tsunami that killed over 200,000 people. Amber had bonded with the young elephant while she and her family were on vacation on the island of Phuket. She and Ningnong were enjoying a walk along the beach just before the first wave hit. Instinctively, Ningnong seemed to know something was wrong and turned away from the beach just before the wave swallowed the small island. As the water slammed into them, Ningnong stopped and stood firm until the water receded. He was a heroic animal with a sixth sense something was about to happen. His decision to leave the beach probably helped Amber survive.

Olga, Upstart and Regal were police horses in London during WW II. As bombs fell in parts of the city, the horses stayed calm while debris and broken glass flew around them. Keeping their composure allowed their riders to direct rescue teams to where they were needed. The horses were a sign of normality for the people of London as their city crumbled under an aerial bombardment. All three horses were awarded the Dickin Award for their bravery.

Moko is a well known and friendly bottle-nosed dolphin in the waters of New Zealand. One morning, the people at Mahia Beach awoke to two pygmy sperm whales who had beached themselves. When human efforts to save the whales failed, Moko began swimming parallel to them. The stranded whales wiggled in the swallow water and slowly began to follow her. Swimming back and forth and appearing to communicate with them, Moko led them through the narrow channel and out to sea. A heroic animal who saved other animals.

GI Joe is the most famous pigeon ever and a heroic animal who saved many lives. He's credited with saving at least 1,000 soldiers during WW II. On one occasion, he flew 20 miles in 20 minutes to deliver a message calling off a planned aerial bombardment of a town in Italy called Colvi. The Germans held the town, but just before the planned bombing, British troops took Colvi a half hour before the bombing was to begin. GI Joe reach British headquarters as the planes were rolling down the runway. Around 150 troops plus the townspeople were saved. GI Joe was awarded the Dickin Award for his service.

Top Ten Cases of Animals Saving Humans, Listverse

Ten Remarkable Animals that Saved People's Lives, Mother Nature Network

About Heroic Animals, Heroic Animals