There’s no end to the beautiful stories we hear about penguins. From wonderful images of the world’s cutest animals as babies to tales of playing with iPads, it’s like these animals exist only to inspire us to be better people. But there’s one penguin who might just be the best of all. His name is Dindim and he visits the retired bricklayer who saved him every year. But what’s most impressive about the relationship between Dindim and Joao Pereira de Souza, is the fact that the penguin travels 5,000 miles just to say hello, proving that penguins aren’t just magical, they’re loyal, as well.
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The Mirror reports that de Souza and Dindim met five years ago when the part-time fisherman found the penguin washed up on shore and covered in oil. As any good samaritan would do, de Souza did everything he could to save the penguin, even taking him home and nursing him back to his full penguin glory before releasing Dindim back into the wild. But Dindim didn’t wan’t to go. In fact, while de Souza thought he’d never see his friend again, the 11 months they’d spent together seemed too much for the animal to forget.
So, he came back.
Here’s what de Souza said about his relationship with the penguin:
“I love the penguin like he’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.”
According to The Mirror, Dindim spends eight months a year chilling at home with de Souza and then waddles 5,000 miles away to the Argentinian/Chilean coast to mate and have fun with his penguin friends. But for the past four years, he’s always returned.
That’s pretty adorable. Not just because it’s a reminder that humans and animals can have long and enduring friendships, but because how clearly affectionate Dindim is to the man who saved him. I just like the idea of de Souza hugging and petting him while other people look on jealously, wishing they had a special penguin to call their own.
(Via The Mirror)
