71-year-old bricklayer and part-time fisherman, Joao Pereira De Souza, found a South American Magellanic penguin, named Dindim, covered in oil and close to death on a Brazilian beach, 5 years ago. When De Souza nursed him back to health, even though it fully recovered it was reluctant to leave Pereira; when he finally did, De Souza was surprised to see him return the next year, and the years following.
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me. When he sees him he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight”, says Pereira.
71-year-old Joao found this penguin covered in oil and close to death in 2011
“He stayed with me for 11 months and then…he disappeared
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me. When he sees him he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight”
“No one else is allowed to touch him. He pecks them if they do”
“I have never seen anything like this before. I think the penguin believes Joao is part of his family and probably a penguin as well” – said Biologist Professor Krajewski
South American Magellanic Penguins breed on the coasts of Argentina and Chile. They migrate as far north as Brazil, so Dindim’s behaviour isn’t completely abnormal. However, his ability to stop by where Pereira lives is both an insight into the emotions of this intelligent creature and heartwarming to everywhere who gets to know of this story.
(H/T – Boredpanda)