When you think of man’s best friend, you probably immediately think “dog” in your mind, but for a man local to Brazil, who goes by the name of Joao Pereira de Souza and one time provided assistance to a little penguin named Dindim, a dog is far from the type of animal that became his best friend.
Despite what many other reports might say about the penguin travelling 2,000-5,000 miles to return to the man, local biologist Joao Paulo Krajewski says this is a “fantastic” story but is full of “misinformation.”
Instead, Dindim, who is a Patagonian penguin, won’t leave his new friend alone and has begun treating the man like a father. He doesn’t travel thousands of miles every month, but instead, just stays in this specific region where he feels safe.
The penguin was reportedly stuck in an oil spill and was hardly able to move, but the 71-year-old man rescued the penguin, got it all washed up and cared for it for a little while, and then released it back into the wild at a nearby island away from the man’s house.
After just a day, the penguin was reportedly back in the man’s back yard and making all sorts of noises. It seems, a bonding friendship was created.
The penguin reportedly received its name from the man’s grandson’s inability to pronounce the word ‘pinguim,’ which is the Portuguese word for penguin. Instead, the grandson called it Dindim.
In the month of February 2012, the penguin reportedly disappeared and it was unknown where it had gone. The penguin didn’t come back for several months until the man heard it again in June. Apparently, the penguin does this every single year – leaves, and then comes back to the man’s house, and continues to do it to this day.
Because this particular breed of penguin is loyal to its breeding grounds, Dindim feels its second chance at life has made this man’s home its home as well, hence it returns every year.
It’s not a bad thing however; the man’s 2-year old grandson love playing with the penguin.
Source: CNN