Strange friendships between humans and nature have been documented, but being friends with enormous crocodiles seems exaggerated. But all life is precious to this caring Costa Rican, so when he discovered a crocodile on the riverbank, he hurried to its rescue. What follows next is the most incredible human-animal friendship ever!
In 1989, Gilberto “Chito” Shedden, a local fisherman and wildlife enthusiast from Siquirres in Costa Rica’s Limón province, met the Pacho crocodile for the first time. The 1200 pound lizard is sleeping on the banks of the Reventazón-Parismina River, and its fate appears to be sealed after a cow farmer mistreated it. Gilberto, on the other hand, wanted to get the enormous animal healthy again, so he grabbed it, loaded it into his boat, and drove it home.
The caring fisherman looked after the defenseless crocodile for the next six months as if it were his own child. Chito gave his new companion almost 65 pounds of steak every day to help it heal completely. Pacho, on the other hand, requires more than food to accomplish this!
“Food is insufficient. Crocodiles require my love to resuscitate, as Chito revealed to the Tico Times. “I simply want him to know that he is loved. Not everyone is a horrible person.”
Pacho’s condition healed dramatically as a result of the caretaker’s affection and comfort, and when the time came, Chito chose to release him into the forest. Surprisingly, the crocodile refuses to leave the guy who treats it with kindness. They couldn’t be separated after that. The two buddies lived every day for the next 22 years together, with the rescued crocodile living in a pond near Gilberto’s house!
In the 2000s, the two became internationally famous after appearing in the documentary ‘The Man Who Swims With Crocodiles.’ Chito and his pal Pacho have been entertaining tourists at Finca Las Tilapias’ manmade lake for more than a decade. Chito never worried that his pals would make him sick, despite the fact that swimming and playing with a large crocodile sounded incredible.
“Something might happen after two or three years,” he remarked, “but not after falling in love.” “Nothing has transpired in the last 22 years, so I don’t believe so.”
For natural causes, the friendly crocodile was given on October 12, 2011. It is thought to be more than 60 years old. The amazing bond he has with the guy who saved his life, on the other hand, will last a lifetime.
