When Joao Pereira de Souza found a Magellanic penguin covered in oil on the rocks in an island village just outside of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, he knew the bird would die without help.
Joao, 71, then nursed the bird -whom he named Dindim- back to health by feeding it fish to help regain strength. He then took Dindim to the sea and released it so that it could return home.
But a few months later, to Joao’s amazement, Dindim returned to his home in Rio. It recognised its former carer and stayed with him for months.
Since then, Dindim swims around 8000 kms to visit his saviour and spends eight months of the year with him, before returning to breed off the coast of Argentina and Chile.
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me. When he sees me, he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight”, Joao said.
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