Kind Man Once Saved a Penguin and Now It Swims 5,000 Miles Every Year Just to Visit Him Again
Penguins are not considered to have the same level of emotional complexity as humans. But a rare occurrence between a 71-year-old man and a South American Magellanic penguin may encourage experts to reconsider. In 2011, pensioner Joao Pereira de Souza was blessed with an opportunity to rescue a dying penguin left stranded on a beach near his home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The poor bird was engulfed in a lather of oil and starving. The chances of survival were low but de Souza did what he could to rescue the penguin, per the Independent. A unique connection since formed has kept the penguin returning to the man every year.
The old man was committed to restoring the penguin to his good health and took him home. He dedicated his time and efforts to removing the sticky oil from the bird’s feather, which took about a week, by giving him showers and also feeding him sardines. De Souza named him Dindim. Soon after the penguin grew new feathers and was strong enough, the man took him to the beach to help him return to his habitat. “But he wouldn’t leave, he stayed with me for 11 months, and then just after he changed his coat with new feathers, he disappeared,” de Souza said in an interview with Globo TV, the source revealed.
There was this 71-year-old retired man called Joao Pereira de Souza who lived in Brazil
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) September 10, 2023
One day he found a South American Magellanic penguin totally covered in oil and very unwell. He nursed it back to health but the penguin didn’t want to leave, when he did eventually leave,… pic.twitter.com/CDDmXvAQOY
The locals told him that Dindim was gone for good and would not return. Quite miraculously, he has been returning to the island off the coast of Rio to visit the man for the past four years. “He arrives in June and leaves to go home in February and every year he becomes more affectionate as he appears even happier to see me” the man added. The Magellanic penguin travels about 5000 miles annually to pay a visit to his lifesaver at the exact island where they first met. The bird typically breeds on the Patagonia coasts of Argentina and Chile but does not mind a long swim to Brazil and spends up to eight months living with the retired fisherman in his house.
De Souza further noted, “I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me.” Hinting at their special bond, he said that no other person is allowed to touch the penguin or pet him. However, Dindim is free to lay on the rescuer’s lap, have showers, and also allows him to “feed him sardines and to pick him up.” Biologist Paulo Krajewski interviewed De Souza and was awestruck by the special bond between him and the bird. “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,” the research told the outlet. To express his happiness, Dindim reportedly wags his tail and honks in delight.
The Wall Street Journal (@wsj) dug deeper into the story and captured De Souza and Dindim live in action in a YouTube video. He was seen casually sitting on the beachside while the penguin strolled around his feet, often looking up to him to interact. The adorable relationship between them shone through confirming the iconic rescue story. Local fishermen chimed in saying that Dindim occasionally stays on the island for a week, like a visiting relative, and then suddenly walks down to the beach and leaves.