NathanTrue Love
“I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me,” Pereira de Souza told interviewers when he was asked about his relationship with the penguin. Dindim performs a very interesting gesture whenever he sees Jaoa once again. The loyal penguin would honk loud with excitement every time he gets to see Pereira de Souza once every year. How can you blame the little penguin? He literally swims a long distance just to see if his savior is still doing fine or not.
Protective
“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,” Pereira even told interviewer as he explains just how protective Dindim is when it comes to him. The little penguin does like any other human being and only had eyes for Jaoa who gets to hold him and interact with him. So then you just have to wonder why they have become so close after a mere rescue right?
Saving Grace
Pereira firmly believes that Dindim became truly appreciative when he took him home and cleaned the oil off of him. It was then that he feels the penguin becoming a little attached to him. He took the penguin home, cleaned all of his feathers up and then nursed him plus fed him for a whole week. The fact that this guy went through all of this for him was enough for the penguin to see that he cared and was a nice human being. He made sure the penguin regained strength to go back into the wild.
Staying
“But he wouldn’t leave, he stayed with me for 11 months and then just after he changed his coat with new feathers he disappeared,” Pereira revealed, talking about the longest time Dindim had ever stayed with him. It is kind of funny to see that these two have become so addicted to one another and cannot keep away from each other. Pereira says that he can recall all the things that happened with the penguin, adding that he felt happy for Dindim to be able to go back home safely.
Never Again
“Everyone said he wouldn’t return but he has been coming back to visit me for the past four years. He arrives in June and leaves to go home in February and every year he becomes more affectionate as he appears even happier to see me,” Pereira claims, as he shoots down all the skeptics that spoke out against them. It is clear that the duo’s bond cannot be tampered by distance or people who do not want to believe it. However, is this a natural behavior for other penguins as well?
Rare Sight
“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. When he sees him he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight,” says a learned biologist named Joao Paulo Krajewski. Just imagine being able to strike a friendship with an animal who does not usually let humans in. So we have to accept that fact that what these two shares is the real deal and not just a made up scenario.