□ Swimming With Carnivores: Man Swims with Crocodile

Chico and Poncho are two birds of different feathers, well neither one has any feathers, and it may be a good thing Chico doesn’t, not very sure if that matters, but never the less….Chico swims with a 17 foot Costa Rica Salt Water Crocodile almost everyday. As if you might imagine, no not in a cage or behind Plexiglas, in the water, right next to the Aquatic Reptile, and yes he calls him a friend,

Steve Erwin would probably have a heat attack if he was still alive to witness this man.

Smile! Crazy huh?

Chico found the reptile as a wounded victim, and hand fed and recuperated the creature since then. Swimming with him from when it was no bigger than 6 feet in length, to now at 17.5 feet in length and 1,000 pounds. Normally this would never happen in the wild, at least not for very long, but the creature Chico swims with actually responds to his chanting calls, and coaxing.

The animal is not by any means trained, but it does recognize his “friend” Chico and doesn’t see him as food or a danger.

Why? Well the Croc would have to answer that, but if you asked me, I would say that because of the length of the relationship and the bonding this man and this Croc have dealt each other over a long length of time, that the memory or thoughts of Chico in this creatures mind, does not compel it to react to him in any other way than what ways it is used to reacting to Chico in.

Smile! Crazy huh?

This 52-year-old daredevil draws gasps of amazement from onlookers by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy – and giving him an affectionate hug.

Chico says: “Pocho is my best friend. This is a very dangerous routine but we have a good relationship. He will look me in the eye and not attack me.

“It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us.”
Chico made friends with the croc after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Central American state’s Parismina river 20 years ago.

He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death.
But Chico enlisted the help of several pals to load the massive reptile into his boat.
He says: “When I found Pocho in the river he was dying, so I brought him into my house.

 

“He was very skinny, weighing only around 150lb. I gave him chicken and fish and medicine for six months to help him recover.

“I stayed by Pocho’s side while he was ill, sleeping next to him at night. I just wanted him to feel that somebody loved him, that not all humans are bad.

“It meant a lot of sacrifice. I had to be there every day. I love all animals – especially ones that have suffered.”
It took years before Chico felt that Pocho had bonded with him enough to get closer to the animal.

Maybe Seaworld should have this man join their Killer Whale Trainers Team?