In Brazil, keeping wild animals as pets is against the law. However, one extraordinary penguin named Dindim defies this rule by reuniting with his savior every year since 2011.
On a Brazilian beach, Joao Pereira de Souza, a 71-year-old retired bricklayer and part-time fisherman, discovered Dindim, a South American Magellanic penguin, covered in oil and on the brink of death.
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De Souza took him in and nursed him back to health. What surprised De Souza was that Dindim refused to leave his side.
And when the penguin eventually did, he returned the following year, creating a heartwarming tradition.
In an interview with Globo TV, Joao affectionately expressed, “I love the penguin like it’s my own child, and I believe the penguin loves me.
No one else is allowed to touch him. He pecks them if they do. He lays on my lap, lets me give him showers, allows me to feed him sardines, and to pick him up.”
Despite skeptics who believed Dindim wouldn’t return, the faithful penguin has been coming back to visit Joao for the past four years. Their bond is a remarkable example of the enduring connection between humans and animals.
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