Yo, peeps! Gather ’round for the craziest story ever – Man literally saves a crocodile’s life and turns it into his BFF. Yeah, you heard it right! It’s like the ultimate bromance that has been going on for a whopping 20 years.
Back in ’89, there’s this young fisherman, Chito, in Costa Rica, who stumbles upon an American crocodile that’s in deep trouble. Apparently, the farmer was worried that his little buddy might get snatched by the jaws of death. At that moment, the left eye of the crocodile was a mess. Chito, being the superhero he is, takes mercy on the poor thing, works with his pals to carry the croc onto the boat, and brings it home for some serious TLC.
Chito names the croc Pocho and treats him like royalty. I’m talking bedtime stories and snuggles – this dude even sleeps with Pocho! Chito spills, “I knew Pocho was hurt by a human. At first, I fed him and he stayed. I began to play with him, touching him.” After months of care, Pocho recovers like a champ, and Chito decides it’s time to send his scaly buddy back into the wild.
But guess what? Pocho shows up the next morning, following his nose and chilling on Chito’s porch. Talk about unexpected friendships! Chito starts thinking, “Maybe a crocodile can be tamed.” Surprisingly, every time Chito calls Pocho’s name, the croc seems to get it. Pocho is basically a dog following his owner.
Chito goes all out to take care of Pocho, even separating from his wife because she doesn’t get it. “She doesn’t understand, and thinks I spend too much time with Pocho, so I don’t dare,” says Chito. Later on, Chito gets married again and has a daughter, but he doesn’t regret choosing Pocho back then.
Concerned that authorities might take Pocho away if they find out about his secret buddy, Chito decides to keep the story under wraps for a while. However, word starts spreading, and the dynamic duo becomes famous not just in Costa Rica but also in Chile, the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond. Pocho and Chito become quite the sensation.
Chito even turns this into a show for tourists, putting on interactive performances with Pocho every Sunday. Tourists shell out 2 bucks for an environmental cleaning fee to witness this epic bromance. Chito insists, “He became my friend. I don’t want to use him as a slave. I treated him well, and I didn’t exploit him.” Pocho, in turn, hugs, kisses, and even pats Chito’s belly. Tourists handle Po
