Costa Rica Chito “The Crocodile Man and the famous Crocodile Poncho”
Written by admin on January 2nd, 2012
Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito prefers a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho – a deadly 17ft crocodile. The 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. Crazy Chito says: “Poncho 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.” Chito 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 Chito enlisted the help of several pals to load the massive reptile into his boat. He says: “When I found Poncho 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 Poncho’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 Chito felt that Poncho had bonded with him enough to get closer to the animal. He says …
Video Rating: 4 / 5
January 2nd, 2012 at 5:34 am
this guy will be in the next Fatal Attractions episode
January 2nd, 2012 at 6:21 am
epic
January 2nd, 2012 at 6:56 am
hope he gets feed well.
January 2nd, 2012 at 7:40 am
We train them to eat Yankees only.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:07 am
What a friendly crocodile. Probably the only one in existence though.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:25 am
Anybody else notice that the owner is missing his left hand thumb?
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:04 am
Love You POCHO….i cant 4get you Both im ur Friend’s From Philippines
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:34 am
Love you POCHO my best Frend too..FroimPhilppines……
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:28 am
RIP PONCHO
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:19 am
That is just amazing. The life you save. Incredible.
January 2nd, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Coolest thing ever…. If all Crocodiles acted like this one, they’d clearly replace the cat or dog as the family pet.
January 2nd, 2012 at 12:31 pm
shows that animals are smarter than you think
January 2nd, 2012 at 12:44 pm
He makes money doing what he loves, props to you bro and god bless.
January 2nd, 2012 at 1:19 pm
at 1:02 the crocodile waved before sinking lol
January 2nd, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Wow that’s crazy