Conservationists staying in Empangeni, Zululand, were suddenly bombarded by a herd of eleven elephants after they had caught gazelle from Thula Thula Exclusive Private Game Reserve and were keeping them in a boma enclosure until they could be released for a breeding programme.  The matriach of the herd, Nana, undid the metal latch holding in the gazelle and stood back with the rest of the herd as the gazelle run free.

After the Tsunami disaster of December 2004, many people and animals suffered the devastating effects.  One was a baby hippopotamus, later named Owen, who was swept away from his mother into the Indian Ocean.  He was found by wildlife rangers in Mombassa, dehydrated and pining for his mother.  He soon befriended a tortoise on the park where he was washed up, Mzee (Swahili for 'old man').  The tortoise, equally befriended Owen and acts as a sort of surrogate mother.  They often sleep eat and rest together.  If anyone comes to close to Mzee, Owen may get aggressive and protective as he would with his biological mother.

To study whether an animal does have empathy, one experiment that takes place is that of blindfolding an animal and then his partner needs to be aware that his partner will need more help.  This experiment was tried on Orangutans; they showed more consideration for their partner when their partner was blindfolded.

If one buffalo gets caught by a predator the other members of the herd will come to their aid.  Lions tend to go for a buffalo's muzzle rather than their neck as they do with most prey, so the other members of the pack can't hear them cry for help.  One account told of a buffalo who had been caught by a group of lions and how the other members of her pack came to her rescue, 'a bull bawling near the victim's face seemed to boost her into fighting back.  She rolled over and struggled to her feet while the others charged.'

One true story told in the book 'Of Wolves and Men' tells of a hunter who went to shoot a wolf caught in a leg trap.  When the hunter approached the wolf, he showed him his injured paw and whined.  If animals didn't feel sympathy, they wouldn't be able to comprehend another species feeling it.

If one leaf cutting ant, gets buried by accident he will stamp his feet and make vibrations.  This will alert other ants who then come to his rescue.  This has happened with ants that aren't part of the same family but whether this a regular occurrence is unknown.

Marc Bekoff, author of 'The Smile Of A Dolphin'  talks of a dog he owned called Jethro when he found an orphaned young rabbit and took her back to the house, 'When I picked her up, Jethro got very concerned.  He tried to snatch her from my hands, whined, and followed me around as I gathered a box, a blanket, and some water and food...he stayed steadfastly near the box for hours on end, and I finally had to drag him away for his nightly walk.  When we returned he made a beeline for the box, and he slept beside it all night.'

When a young sparrow accidentally landed in a chimp's enclosure at a zoo, the chimps delicately cupped the fledging and passed it round until the last chimp to handle the bird, closest the bars, then handed the bird to the zoo keeper.