Imagine coming home and seeing a wild animal there? Fortunately for Joao Pereira de Souza, a retired bricklayer who lives in Rio de Janeiro, that animal wasn’t a bear or mountain lion. Instead, it was an oil-covered penguin that was laying on the beach near his home. De Souza gave him sardines and a shady spot to rest. The result, the penguin, whom he dubbed Dindim, is a constant companion now.
De Souza is the only human that Dindim likes. If anyone else gets near him, he pecks at them. It’s so cute to see this penguin sitting on his lap, just hanging out. Talk about a fun retirement companion. I don’t know if there’s any Mrs. de Souza, but she’s a very tolerant woman. I can’t imagine a penguin being my buddy, but if one showed up at my co-op… sure, why not? He’d have to get along with my cats, though.
A Brazilian penguin seems like an oxymoron. He does travel back and forth from his natural habitat, which is 5,000 miles away. Yes, that’s not a typo. Apparently, the ocean currents make a Rio a suitable drop off spot. If you could swim from the frigid parts of the world to Rio, wouldn’t you do that? Don’t forget about the penguins of the Galapagos Islands. That’s not exactly a frigid place.
This whole bond began in 2011. Ever since then, Dindim spends around eight months of the year with de Souza. Though a sad fact of life lurks in the distance. The retiree is in his seventies, and he lives in a rural area. There could be one time when the penguin returns to Rio… and there is no one in the shack. Hopefully that day is a long, long time away. Let’s just enjoy this as long as we can.
What an amazing story! 50 miles is incredible, but 5,000? That’s insane loyalty. What did you think of the video? Please tell us in the comments section below!
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