Adorable Penguin Travels 2,000 Miles Every Year To Visit Brazilian Man Who Saved Him [VIDEO]

A friendly penguin has established a nice relationship with a local man in Brazil after saving his life. Joao Pereira de Souza is a 71-year-old retired man who lives on the shores of Rio de Janeiro. He's also the best friend of an adorable Magnellanic penguin.

Joao first met the sea creature, nicknamed JinJing, four years ago when he rescued him after discovering him soaked in oil and lying on the beach in front of his house. Joao fed him sardines and offered him a shady spot to rest, according to the Wall Street Journal, and has since established a unique friendship with the little guy.

WSJ also reports that the penguin travels around 2,000 miles every year from the Patagonian coast in southern Chile, where he breeds in the spring, to Brazil, where he spends eight months of the year with his new buddy. Local fishermen are flabbergasted, telling the reporter that penguins are supposed to stay together, but JinJing doesn't. He always returns to the same house.

On another interview with Globo TV, de Souza talked about his relationship with the animal. “I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me. 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,” he said.

But as they say, actions speak more than words. Check out the video for yourself!