The Penguin's Extraordinary Journey: A Swim Towards Friendship

In 2011, Joao Pereira de Souza, a 70-year-old retiree from Brazil, discovered a penguin covered in oil and starving. He took the penguin in and decided to nurture him back to health before releasing him back into the wild.

The penguin, fondly named Dindim, stayed with his rescuer for several days until it was time to return him to the sea. 

The penguin with his rescuer (YouTube screenshot)

Now residing on the shores of Patagonia, the area between Argentina and Chile, the penguin continues to swim 8,000 kilometers just to visit his rescuer. "I love this penguin like he is my own child," de Souza shared in an interview. "I believe he loves me too. He enjoys sitting on my lap, appreciates when I bathe him, and even lets me feed him sardines. But if anyone else tries to approach or touch him, he swiftly pecks them."