Wild Animals That Saved Human Lives

From dogs to big cats and dolphins, coming up are some of the most incredible cases of wild animals saving human lives.

October 24, 2023・

11 min read

Animals are amazing. From your pet dog to a jellyfish, every animal has something to bring to the table and it's not only their nutritional value. The animals mentioned in this article bring vigilantism and justice to the table. Let’s take a look at some of the most incredible cases of wild animals saving human lives.

Kidnapped Girl Rescued By Lions

In 2005, a 12-year-old girl from Ethiopia was kidnapped. After a week, the kidnappers realized the police were closing in on them, so they decided to move the girl. However, out in the Ethiopian wild, they came face to face with a pride of lions. The kidnappers bolted in the opposite direction as the lions chased them.

The lions weren’t finished yet, however. They stood guard around the young girl until the police arrived. Once the police turned up, the lions’ walked away as they had completed their job.

However, experts are conflicted regarding their behavior. Some believe the lions spared the girl because her crying mimicked the mewing sound of a lion cub, while other experts think they were probably just preparing to eat her before the police intercepted them. Whatever the case, the lions inadvertently succeeded in making the savannah a little bit safer.

Rescued By Beavers

Rheal Guindon went on a camping trip with his family. Rheal’s parents got on a boat in a lake, while Rheal watched on from the shore. Within moments, the boat sank with his parents onboard, who later drowned. While in shock and devastated, Rheal went to get help, only for the sun to begin to set.

The temperature plummeted as it got dark. Rheal saw no other option than to spend the night outside and go to sleep. He fell asleep quickly but when he woke in the morning, he felt something warm and furry against his skin. Surrounding him were a group of beavers. Without the warmth from these beavers, it would have been likely that Rheal would’ve frozen to death that night.

Dolphins Save Swimmers From Shark Attack

The great intelligence of dolphins is well-known. But, did you know they can be selfless too? As Rob Howes and his family were swimming in the sea, a pod of Dolphins surrounded the family. Mr. Howes realized the dolphins were herding his family closer together.

The dolphins then splashed around and were very erratic with their behavior. That’s when Mr. Howes noticed a great white shark nearby. The shark was stalking the Howes family until the dolphin vigilantes swung into action. The dolphins kept that beast at bay and saved a family of humans.

A similar dolphin-related incident happened to fisherman Grant Dickson when his ship sank. Mr. Dickson was cut and bleeding heavily from the disaster. He found an overturned dinghy near the shipwreck. As he was unable to turn it over, Mr. Dickson had to just hold onto it to stay afloat.

That turned out to be problematic because a group of sharks could smell Mr. Dickson’s blood in the water. They approached him and prepared to get a meal. One shark broke off from the group and closed the gap towards Mr. Dickson. But before the shark could reach him, a pod of dolphins intervened and scared off the hungry sharks. Two days after his ship sinking, Mr. Dickson was rescued by a passing cruise ship.

Another aquatic rescue took place for Yvonne Vladislavich. Ms. Vladislavich was on a boat that sank in 1972. She took the brave option to swim to land. One of the main problems she faced was she was in shark-infested waters with a deep cut on her foot. The blood would likely attract the sharks towards her.

At least it would have been a problem had Ms. Vladislavich not had a dolphin entourage. The dolphins followed Ms. Vladislavich to protect her from predators and kept her afloat as she fatigued from swimming. They aided her in swimming 25 long miles until she arrived at a buoy in the ocean that she climbed onto in order to await rescue.

Sea Lion Saves San Francisco Bridge Jumper

Kevin Hines was a teenager in 2000 that was struggling with his mental health. So much so, that he decided to end his life by jumping off of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. As he fell to the icy water below, Mr. Hines regretted his choice. However, Mr. Hines broke his ankle and crushed his spinal vertebrae as soon as he hit the water, so he could barely move.

But, he noticed a shadow below the water. The ironic thoughts of being attacked by a shark, after he chose to live, entered his mind. People on the bridge looked over towards where Mr. Hines landed. Instead of a shark, they saw a sea lion.

The people above saw the sea lion bumping Mr. Hines to keep him afloat long enough for him to be rescued by the coastguard. Without that help, Mr. Hines wouldn’t have gone on to be an advocate to aid others suffering with their mental health. The sea lion did a snowball of good that day.

Saved From A Wolf With The Help Of A Bear

Joanne Barnaby and her dog were picking mushrooms with a friend in Canada’s Northwest Territories. As they turned, they spotted a wolf glaring at them and unveiling its teeth. Separated from her friend, Ms. Barnaby and her dog went on a long trek into the forest to get away from the wolf. But, the wolf stalked them for 12 hours.

Exhausted and desperate, Ms. Barnaby came across a bear and her cub. She hatched an audacious plan to save herself and her dog. Ms. Barnaby walked towards the cub, hoping the mother bear would go after the wolf instead of her.

It was a risky move, but it worked. The bear saw the hungry wolf as a threat to her cub and attacked it. Ms. Barnaby kept walking fast as she heard the sounds of the two animals behind her. While unintentional, the bear saved two lives that day.

Beluga Whale Saves Drowning Diver

Yang Yun took part in a free diving competition inside a tank of water when horror struck. Her leg started to cramp from the freezing cold water. She couldn’t use her legs to kick up towards the surface. Yang Yun wasn’t using an oxygen tank so the fear of drowning crept into her mind.

As she began to sink further into the waters below, another obstacle appeared. A Beluga whale that was inside the tank with the divers clamped its’ jaws around Yang Yun’s flipper. However, as Yang Yun began to panic, the situation wasn’t what it seemed. The Beluga whale swam up to the surface with Yang Yun in tow.

Thankfully belugas feed on small fish and squid so they have only small teeth, meaning Yang Yun was uninjured. Without the aid of the Beluga whale, Yang Yun would have likely drowned. Another altruistic, aquatic animal.

Porpoises Rescue Dick Van Dyke

When Actor Dick Van Dyke was younger, he had fallen asleep floating on his surfboard in the sea. As he woke from his slumber, he struggled to see the land. He had floated too far away from the Californian shore. He began paddling anxiously towards what land he could spot.

But fins lurked around his board and began to surround him. Instead of being attacked by sharks, the fins belonged to a group of Porpoises that helped push Mr. Van Dyke closer to the shore.

Deer Saves Ohio Woman From Mugger

After raving it up at a party, an unnamed woman from Oxford, Ohio decided to go home. As she left the party house, a man grabbed her from behind, punched her, and began choking her with her own purse.

As the situation became very dire, from the cover of trees the villain's worst nightmare stepped out: a deer. The deer ran straight towards the man as he harmed the woman. The man panicked and ran away while taking none of the woman’s possessions.

Sgt. Jon Varley who investigated the case believes the deer was sleeping in the brush when the commotion stirred it awake, into crime-fighting mode. They say the deer is still out there, bringing justice to the rural areas of Ohio wherever it goes.

Gorilla Rescues Boy Who Fell In Ape Pit

In 1986, a five-year-old Levan Merritt was visiting a zoo with his family, when he slipped 20 feet into the gorilla enclosure. Levan broke his arm and fractured his skull in the fall, which knocked him unconscious. As panic ensued, Jambo the silverback approached the knocked-out boy.

Jambo comforted the boy by stroking Levan’s back and stood guard over him. As Levan awoke, he began to cry from the confusion and pain. The sounds of crying caused all the gorillas to retreat. Jambo took charge and escorted the gorillas calmly inside. This allowed the medical team into the enclosure safely to treat Levan.

Let's just say his guardians need to read "Parenting for Dummies" before they visit another zoo, as do the parents of this other case that took place 10 years later. Binti Jua is a Western lowland gorilla. She was enjoying her day when a three-year-old boy fell into her enclosure. The boy broke his hand, suffered cuts, and was knocked unconscious in the fall.

Binti Jua approached the toddler slowly as the child’s parents screamed out for help. But, Binti Jua picked up the boy and cradled him to protect him from the other gorillas. Next, she walked to the other side of the enclosure with the toddler, while Binti Jua’s own baby clutched onto her back. She arrived at the zoo keepers’ entrance and gently placed the unconscious toddler there in order to get help.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t always ended well for our gorilla friends when foolish parents accidentally lose sight of their child and they somehow end up in a gorilla cage. Just take the case of Harambe.

When a child fell in his enclosure, Harambe protected the child. Yes, he pulled the child through the water of the moat, but he also stood him up and examined his clothing. The 400lb gorilla did not attack the child but was shot dead for fear that he would.

The Shipwrecked Woman Saved By Giant Turtle

When Candelaria Villanueva’s ship caught fire and sank in 1974, she probably thought she had little options to survive. She floated in the water for 12 hours in only a life-jacket. With her hope diminishing, a giant sea turtle popped up to see what was going on.

To prop herself up in the water, she grabbed onto the turtle’s shell. The turtle then immediately began to swim. As Mrs. Villanueva believed the turtle was going towards land, she held on to the turtle’s shell for two days.

The turtle refused to dive and eat the whole time it had a passenger, which is what it would have done if it wasn’t on a mission to save her. After those two days, a Navy ship rescued her. The turtle swam around the ship for a bit to check on Mrs. Villanueva before it disappeared into the ocean depths.

Sergeant Stubby

In 1917, during World War 1 the 102nd Infantry Regiment met Sergeant good boy. Sergeant Stubby, as he was later known, was a stray dog that grabbed the regiment’s attention.

They took him under their wing, but unbeknownst to them, Stubby would save their lives countless times overseas during conflict. He could sniff out mustard gas, and hear the whistle of artillery shells to warn his regiment. Stubby would be awarded the unofficial rank of Sergeant on his return to the USA.

Many American presidents were also given the honor of meeting Stubby during his military retirement. Stubby’s story was so inspiring that in 2018 an animated film was released about his life. He’s such a good boy, yes he is.

Bear Saves Man From Mountain Lion Attack

Robert Biggs was enjoying a hike in north California when he spotted a mother bear with a cub. He took a few moments to take in the sight before he turned to leave. Only, nature wasn’t finished with him just yet.

A mountain lion jumped onto Mr. Biggs’ back which caused him to collapse onto his knees. He then struck the lion on the head with a rock pick as he fought for his life. Then his hero intervened. The bear that Mr. Biggs was watching earlier, grabbed the lion and pulled it away from Mr. Biggs.

The two large animals began to grapple. Only for the lion to wriggle out of the bear’s grasp and run away to fight hikers another day. Mr. Biggs did get some nasty cuts thanks to the lion, but without mamma bear around, it could’ve been much worse.

It just goes to prove that nature is full of help as well as danger! I hope you were amazed at these stories of wild animals that saved human lives. Thanks for reading!