What makes a hero? Author Jennifer Holland has tracked down the stories of 37 animals “doing something special that’s helping someone or another animal” for her book “Unlikely Heroes.”
In the book, Holland, a contributing writer for National Geographic, shares true stories of animals that saved lives, from dogs to dolphins to llamas. Some of those lives are humans. Some are the animal’s young. Some are of an entirely different species.
“I’m always really amazed by animals that can, for example, smell diseases or smell something,” Holland told “St. Louis on the Air” host Don Marsh on Tuesday. Dogs are known for their ability to do this, but Holland also told of a rabbit that alerted family members to an illness, and rats that can sniff out land mines.
Holland was in St. Louis to talk about heroic animals with local schoolchildren.
“St. Louis on the Air” discusses issues and concerns facing the St. Louis area. The show is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and hosted by veteran journalist Don Marsh. Follow us on Twitter: @STLonAir.