They met each other 20 years ago, 32 year old Chito found Pocho stranded on the shore the Parismina River. During Pocho’s recover Chito bonded with him. Chito even slept at night with Pocho to company him. At first, Pocho was very skinny weighing around 150 pounds so Chito gave Pocho chicken, fish, and medicine to recover. Right now Pocho is strong and heavy weighing around 980 pounds.
Today tourists come to watch these two to interact. When Pocho had regained his strength, Chito took him back along the river to release him. But Pocho didn’t want to be left behind, and followed Chito home! With permission from the Minister for Environment and the help of a vet, Chito looked after Pocho for nearly two decades.
After many years of friendship, Pocho died of natural causes last year at the age of 50. Hundreds of people attended his funeral. Chito was naturally devastated by Pocho’s death, but continues to share his friend’s story to raise awareness about just how special crocodiles are. /// Photo @ Adam C. Smith Photography