A man in Brazil went out of his way to save a young penguin, and now years later, the penguin still remembers his friend.

João Pereira de Souza is a 71-year-old bricklayer from Brazil who began an unusual friendship with a penguin back in 2011. In March of that year, a Patagonian penguin named JingJing was found on the beach in front of Souza's house, covered in oil.

Souza cleaned the bird up, gave him some sardines to eat and a shady spot on the beach to recuperate. Since that encounter, JingJing has returned to Souza's home on the Brazilian fishing island Ilha Grande to visit him every four months or so.

JingJing will swim off into the ocean for months at a time, but he always come right back to Souza's door. Patagonian penguins are known for migrating thousands of miles from their breeding colonies and feeding grounds further north, but they occasionally end up on the tropical beaches of Brazil. Patagonia is about 2,000 miles south of Brazil.

The penguin and his new best friend are quite the site for local fisherman, who say they've seen nothing like the friendship between JingJing and Souza. According to the Wall Street Journal, JingJing spends together about 8 months of the year with Souza and the two have become close friends. The penguin hoots and nuzzles against Souza while they share sardines.

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