The Surprising Friendship Between A Man And A Crocodile

They say that there are species that, by nature, cannot be together. As in the case of humans and wild animals. Nonetheless, there are stories that show the opposite, as in the case of the fisherman Gilberto and his friend Pocho. In this article we will tell you about the incredible friendship between a man and a crocodile.

A man and a crocodile become friends

Pocho and Gilberto are the names of the protagonists of this story. Gilberto is a fisherman from Costa Rica. One day, his life changed radically. This happened when man discovered an injured crocodile in a lagoon. A hunter had pierced his eye with a bullet and the animal looked fearful, weak and disoriented.

Gilberto is a simple person but with solid principles. He felt that he could not leave the animal to its fate, almost dying and alone without any hope. So she decided to take him to her home and treat him. His idea was to release him into the lagoon later, when he recovered, so that he could resume his normal life. Yet things turned out quite differently.

When Gilberto returned home with the crocodile, imagine the astonished face of his wife, who was not very convinced of the idea. However, Gilberto decided to go ahead with his plan. He cured Pocho, fed him raw chickens and slept next to him every night.

The cure

While Gilberto was feeding the battered crocodile, which he himself nicknamed “Pocho”, he began to recognize gestures of gratitude  on the part of this reptile. Sometimes the animal looked at him softly, full of affection and gratitude. At first the animal was very thin and undernourished. But little by little, and thanks to Gilberto’s care, the crocodile began to regain weight and strength.

The man’s wife claims that Pocho’s presence was kept hidden from neighbors. Gilberto kept him in a well-guarded refuge that even she did not know. She came to think he was cheating on her with another woman! However, as she puts it, in the end ” the crocodile became like another member of the family, even if being close to him gave me a lot of fear “.

And it was time to say goodbye

Once healed, it was time for Gilberto to part with his crocodile friend. The Costa Rican fisherman  kept his promise to return Pocho to its natural habitat. However, when he accompanied the reptile to the place of the first meeting, after diving, the crocodile came out, starting to follow his human friend.

History repeated itself several times, until it became clear to Gilberto that Pocho wanted to stay with him and that he did not want to return to the solitude of the jungle. It was then that man built an artificial lagoon in his home to allow the animal to live normally.

Once again, his wife pointed out her doubts to him, but as time passed he realized that the friendship that had been born between the two was truly special. A little to pass the time, a little to teach Pocho something, Gilberto decided to try to train the crocodile.

He began to teach him simple things, such as approaching when called. Then he taught him to do spins, somersaults and other stunts. One day, Gilberto recalls, Pocho even invited him to enter the water by moving his nose. He was never afraid or afraid of “his” crocodile, whom he considered a friend, a member of the family.

The show

It wasn’t long before this news reached the population. Obviously, learning of a man swimming with crocodiles caused a sensation across the country. Slowly, people began to arrive, onlookers and tourists, eager to see this show . Gilberto at first appeared reluctant but since his financial situation was not the best, he realized that he could get more than a few bucks from the visitors. The goal was to  make people understand respect for these noble animals.

While swimming and performing stunts, the fisherman told adults and children the story of the  rescue, the recovery of the animal, clarifying many aspects of the life of this great reptile.

Some scientists have even gone so far as to hypothesize that the  bullet that seriously injured the crocodile, in the ocular area, could have touched a part of the brain, “deactivating” the area of ​​aggression. Be that as it may, this friendship between a man and a crocodile was truly unique and surprising. Gilberto became the first person able to tame a crocodile and tried to do it with other specimens as well. Unfortunately, Pocho passed away in 2007.