When the Wild Comes to the Rescue

Pets are truly awesome. They offer comfort, they’re adorable, and depending on what kind of friend you have, they might even defend you. We constantly hear inspiring tales of dogs saving their owners from attackers or alerting them to immediate danger, which is somewhat expected, given the bond you share.

But what about wild animals? Creatures you’ve never seen or been in contact with? Would they save you from danger, or simply see you as lunch? While the latter might be the more likely scenario in most cases, there are some truly remarkable stories of wild animals who have stepped in to save human lives.

1. Three Lions Save a Girl from Kidnappers

This story is incredible because, well, they are lions, and lions typically do not hang out with people.

In 2004, a 12-year-old girl in rural Southwest Ethiopia was abducted by four men on her way home from school. The men were attempting to force her into a marriage, a custom that, tragically, has long been a part of some marriage traditions in the area. According to the UN, over 70% of marriages in Ethiopia were forced marriages through abductions at that time, which is both shocking and deeply wrong.

As the police pursued the kidnappers, the group encountered an unexpected intervention: Three Lions. The lions chased off the abductors and then did the unthinkable: they stayed to guard the terrified girl for over half a day until the police arrived. Local police noted, “They stood guard until we found her, and then they just left her like a gift and went back to the forest.”

Some wildlife experts theorized that the girl’s crying may have sounded similar to the mewing of a distressed lion cub, which is why the lions protected her. Regardless of the reason, the four kidnappers were eventually apprehended, giving this harrowing tale a truly extraordinary ending.

2. A Pod of Dolphins Saves a Lifeguard

If you think a story about dolphins saving people is a bit cliché, you might be missing how truly amazing it is when it happens in real life.

In 2004, at Ocean Beach near the city of Funaki, New Zealand, lifeguard Rob Howes was swimming about 300 feet from shore with his daughter, Nissia, and her two friends when seven bottlenose dolphins suddenly sped toward them.

The dolphins reached the group and began herding them all together, behaving erratically, turning tight circles, and slapping the water with their tails. After a tense period, Howes realized why: he saw a massive, 9-foot-long great white shark swimming around them.

The dolphins immediately went “ballistic,” forming a protective ring around the swimmers and defending them from the shark for over 40 minutes. They didn’t stop until another lifeguard, who had observed the dolphins’ strange behavior, arrived in a boat to rescue the group.

3. The Sea Lion Under the Golden Gate Bridge

In September 2000, Kevin Hines was suffering from severe mental illness and depression when he made the tragic decision to attempt to take his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Miraculously, he survived the fall, but as he was struggling in the water, he saw a large creature beneath him. Panicked, he initially believed it was a shark that was going to “take off a leg.” However, the creature didn’t attack. Instead, it just kept circling beneath him, continuously bumping him up toward the surface of the water.

This continued until he heard a boat approaching. Hines later spoke to a witness who confirmed that the creature keeping him afloat was, in fact, a sea lion. It stayed with him, supporting him on the surface until the Coast Guard arrived. Hines believes that without the sea lion’s intervention, he would have drowned due to his injuries. Inspired by this unbelievable act, Hines is now a mental health advocate, sharing his story worldwide to help prevent suicides.

4. Gorillas and Kids

Here are two stories that gained national attention, both involving gorillas protecting young children who fell into their enclosures.

• Binti Jua: In 1996, a 3-year-old boy fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago and lost consciousness. A female gorilla named Binti Jua, with her own 17-month-old baby clinging to her back, approached. She gently picked up the boy, guarded him from the other gorillas, and carried him to an entrance where she carefully handed him off to zookeepers.
• Jambo: In 1986, a 5-year-old boy fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Jersey Zoo and also lost consciousness. This time, a large male gorilla named Jambo approached. Jambo stood guard over the boy and was even seen gently stroking the child’s back. The boy eventually woke up and cried, which startled the other gorillas. Before any panic could escalate, zookeepers rushed in and completed the rescue.

5. Bear Versus a Mountain Lion

Robert Biggs, a 69-year-old avid outdoorsman, was on a regular hike in Northern California when he stopped to admire a family of black bears. Suddenly, a mountain lion pounced on him from behind, knocking him to the ground.

Biggs fought back, smashing the cat in the head with his rock pick, but it wouldn’t let go. That’s when a blur appeared on his left side and grabbed the mountain lion by the throat. It was the mama bear.

Biggs recalled hearing “traumatized screeching” and growling noises as the bear ripped the mountain lion off his back. The lion ran off, and thankfully, Biggs was protected by his backpack. To this day, Biggs is 100% sure the bear intentionally saved his life. He made eye contact with the bear after the dramatic rescue and is convinced the bear recognized him from his frequent hikes on that trail.

6. The Giant Sea Turtle

In 1974, a 52-year-old woman was shipwrecked off the coast of Manila, Philippines, and was giving up hope. That’s when she saw a giant sea turtle swimming toward her. She grabbed onto the turtle’s shell, and for two entire days, the turtle towed her toward land.

Sea turtles usually need to dive regularly to feed, but the woman noted that the turtle didn’t dive at all during those 48 hours, seemingly sacrificing its own hunger to save her. When she was finally spotted by a passing ship, the crew initially thought she was clinging to an empty oil drum. After they realized it was a sea turtle, the giant creature swam away, but not before circling the area a few times, just to make sure she was safe.

These stories are truly incredible. There is so much about the animal kingdom that we still don’t understand, and it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that animals lack intelligence or sentiment. These tales, however, suggest a depth of feeling and an instinct to help that goes far beyond what we typically expect from the wild.