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It’s illegal for you to keep wild animals as pets in Brazil. But despite what the law may say, Dindim comes to live with his best friend, whom he met on the beaches of Brazil, every year since 2011.
71-year-old retired bricklayer and part time fisherman Joao Pereira de Souza found Dindim, a South American Magellanic penguin, covered in oil and close to death. When De Souza nursed him back to health, however, he found that Dindim didn’t want to leave; when he finally did, De Souza was surprised to see him return the next year, and the years following.
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me,” Joao told Globo TV. “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.” (h/t: independent)
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“Everyone said he wouldn’t return but he has been coming back to visit me for the past four years”
71-year-old Joao found this penguin covered in oil and close to death in 2011
“He stayed with me for 11 months and then…he disappeared
But Dindim kept coming back every year, swimming 8,000km to do so
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me. When he sees him he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight”
“No one else is allowed to touch him. He pecks them if they do”
“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” – said Biologist Professor Krajewski
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What do you think ?
TrevorDennis 9 years ago
A psychopath wouldn't understand that, which makes me feel kind of sorry for them. On the other hand, I consider myself a Strong Atheist, so folk with religion would probably feel sorry for me. But hey, I love animals too, and that's good enough for me :-)
Load More Replies...
MikePg 9 years ago
I have rescue dogs from a shelter and I've also had a dog I rescued after it was dumped in a petrol station in the middle of winter (-28C - Latvia). And I have to say that the dog that I rescued from the petrol station was far more loving, attentive and obedient than the others (they are good dogs too :) ) We need to give animals the respect that they deserve, they understand when something good is being done for them. I guess it helps that the penguin knows if it turns up on the beach someone will feed him, saving him the job of catching it's own food ;)
PatGreenleaf 9 years ago
That penguin loves you, sir!! And he's loyal as only an animal can be....lucky you!!
CinzLeaf 9 years ago
Wow!!! Too freakn COOOOLLL MAN!! I love penguins, as do my whole Leaf/Mahanga/May whanau... That penguin or Kororā to my family, was truely blessed and lucky to have found a companion in someone like Mr De Souza! Thank you sir, your love care and generosity has seen him well and has caused my eyes to swim with tears as i think of what the alternative could have been .... and then my heart cries with pure happiness too, you have no idea! So, again, i thank you ... XxoX
EesyamRidzwan 9 years ago
But I feel terribly sad reading this.. What if, the next year when the penguin come again, the old man is not around anymore? I seriously can't imagine that! :(
Jeremy Gibbons 9 years ago
Good news! Penguins live around 20 years, so maybe the two of them will die at the same time.
Load More Replies...
TedTheAtheist 9 years ago
I think it's stupid for that biologist to think that the penguin thinks that he's another penguin. That's just bs. No, the penguin is smart/intelligent enough to know that he's NOT like him, but he did him a solid.. so he knows he owes him his life.
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
This is so awesome... first that the man cared enough to help the penguin, and then that the penguin understood what the man did so deeply that he bonded to the man and spends so much time with him whenever he's not on a mating trip. ----------------- I wonder if someday he'll bring his mate and penguin pups along too, lol. --------------- The only thing I feel badly about is, what happens when the man (who's already in his 70's) passes away? How will the penguin understand where his friend went?.... It might be a good idea if the man helped the penguin bond to at least one other person in the village, preferably someone younger, so that he would have some comfort when the time comes.
IvanTadej 9 years ago
Nice, but silly is the opinion of Professor Krajewski. Why should the penguin think that Joao is a penguin? I think that the penguin sees well that Joao is not a penguin and understand it well. Of cours, he can not know that Joao is a Homo sapiens sapiens in the linguistic sense, but understands well that that Joao from a different species is a good and noble individue.
JosephChavoen 9 years ago
Let us just admit it. Animals know, they feel, bleed, hurt and they LOVE.. w all their being.
KoachHarrington 9 years ago
I love it. Animals often since those that will help them and bond with those that do.
KoachHarrington 9 years ago
I love it. Animals can often since those who will help them and bond with those who do.
Cristian Bonsen 9 years ago
The penguin simply knows where the (seasonal) food is. And it's ok. You don't need to bestow human traits to animals neither to love them nor to care for them. That would be anthropocentric.
IvanTadej 9 years ago
Nice, but silly opinion from Professor Krajewski. Why should the penguin be such an idiot to think that Joao is a penguin? I think that the penguin understands that Joao is not a penguin, can not, of course know that Joao is a Homo sapiens sapiens in linguistic terms, but understands well that Joao is a good being, not a penguin. :)
ColbyOrrick 9 years ago
"I think the penguin believes Joao is part of his family and probably a penguin as well” – said Biologist Professor Krajewski" Or maybe we dont understand as much about animal intelligence as we think we do.
DeyanAtanasov 9 years ago
My grand-ma nursed a wild pigeon, she feeded him from her mouth. He returned to her every summer. He landed on her head and "spoke" to her. So I find nothing strange with that penguin.
TrevorDennis 9 years ago
A psychopath wouldn't understand that, which makes me feel kind of sorry for them. On the other hand, I consider myself a Strong Atheist, so folk with religion would probably feel sorry for me. But hey, I love animals too, and that's good enough for me :-)
Load More Replies... MikePg 9 years ago
I have rescue dogs from a shelter and I've also had a dog I rescued after it was dumped in a petrol station in the middle of winter (-28C - Latvia). And I have to say that the dog that I rescued from the petrol station was far more loving, attentive and obedient than the others (they are good dogs too :) ) We need to give animals the respect that they deserve, they understand when something good is being done for them. I guess it helps that the penguin knows if it turns up on the beach someone will feed him, saving him the job of catching it's own food ;)
PatGreenleaf 9 years ago
That penguin loves you, sir!! And he's loyal as only an animal can be....lucky you!!
CinzLeaf 9 years ago
Wow!!! Too freakn COOOOLLL MAN!! I love penguins, as do my whole Leaf/Mahanga/May whanau... That penguin or Kororā to my family, was truely blessed and lucky to have found a companion in someone like Mr De Souza! Thank you sir, your love care and generosity has seen him well and has caused my eyes to swim with tears as i think of what the alternative could have been .... and then my heart cries with pure happiness too, you have no idea! So, again, i thank you ... XxoX
EesyamRidzwan 9 years ago
But I feel terribly sad reading this.. What if, the next year when the penguin come again, the old man is not around anymore? I seriously can't imagine that! :(
Jeremy Gibbons 9 years ago
Good news! Penguins live around 20 years, so maybe the two of them will die at the same time.
Load More Replies... TedTheAtheist 9 years ago
I think it's stupid for that biologist to think that the penguin thinks that he's another penguin. That's just bs. No, the penguin is smart/intelligent enough to know that he's NOT like him, but he did him a solid.. so he knows he owes him his life.
Maureen Mower 9 years ago
This is so awesome... first that the man cared enough to help the penguin, and then that the penguin understood what the man did so deeply that he bonded to the man and spends so much time with him whenever he's not on a mating trip. ----------------- I wonder if someday he'll bring his mate and penguin pups along too, lol. --------------- The only thing I feel badly about is, what happens when the man (who's already in his 70's) passes away? How will the penguin understand where his friend went?.... It might be a good idea if the man helped the penguin bond to at least one other person in the village, preferably someone younger, so that he would have some comfort when the time comes.
IvanTadej 9 years ago
Nice, but silly is the opinion of Professor Krajewski. Why should the penguin think that Joao is a penguin? I think that the penguin sees well that Joao is not a penguin and understand it well. Of cours, he can not know that Joao is a Homo sapiens sapiens in the linguistic sense, but understands well that that Joao from a different species is a good and noble individue.
JosephChavoen 9 years ago
Let us just admit it. Animals know, they feel, bleed, hurt and they LOVE.. w all their being.
KoachHarrington 9 years ago
I love it. Animals often since those that will help them and bond with those that do.
KoachHarrington 9 years ago
I love it. Animals can often since those who will help them and bond with those who do.
Cristian Bonsen 9 years ago
The penguin simply knows where the (seasonal) food is. And it's ok. You don't need to bestow human traits to animals neither to love them nor to care for them. That would be anthropocentric.
IvanTadej 9 years ago
Nice, but silly opinion from Professor Krajewski. Why should the penguin be such an idiot to think that Joao is a penguin? I think that the penguin understands that Joao is not a penguin, can not, of course know that Joao is a Homo sapiens sapiens in linguistic terms, but understands well that Joao is a good being, not a penguin. :)
ColbyOrrick 9 years ago
"I think the penguin believes Joao is part of his family and probably a penguin as well” – said Biologist Professor Krajewski" Or maybe we dont understand as much about animal intelligence as we think we do.
DeyanAtanasov 9 years ago
My grand-ma nursed a wild pigeon, she feeded him from her mouth. He returned to her every summer. He landed on her head and "spoke" to her. So I find nothing strange with that penguin.
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