My uncle was a forest officer and this time he brought me there. His house was in the forest. When we arrived,Eric saw us and came rushing to open the garden gate. He was an elderly man who did my uncle’s cooking and other household work.

“How are you?” I called out. “I’m all right,” he said, “but Papal isn’t.”

My uncle, who walked ahead of us, stopped and asked, “Why Eric, what is wrong with our friend?”

“From the day you went, she has not been eating properly,” answered Eric. My uncle looked worried.

“Who is Papal?” I asked Eric. “Why! Don’t you know? Here she is.”

I turned round. My heart skipped a beat. There was Papal, a Royal Bengal tiger, giving my uncle a tremendous welcome by licking (舔) his face. Then she caught sight of me and came still while she sniffed me all over. But when she tried to lick my face, I always refused. Later I was told that Papal’s mother was killed when she was only ten days old. I felt sorry for her.

Soon my uncle left for work. I wondered how to pass my time. There was a small pond behind the house and I liked to sit beside it. I got up. Immediately Papal moved her tail to show she had seen me move. I could no longer bear the feeling of being constantly watched by two silent eyes. I walked off angrily and sat beside the pond. “WOOSH! ! !” I heard a splashing sound. I looked up. Papal had dived into the water and was swimming in the pond. Soon she came out of the pond and sat breathing in front of me. Then Papal growled (咆哮).

After a while, Papal growled again—this time there was something urgent in her growl. I could not help turning back and looking at her. She was staring at something in front of me. I looked in the same direction and broke into a cold sweat(冒冷汗)! There was a snake less than six feet away!

Chito Shedden was a simple fisherman and tour guide from Siquirres, Limon Province, Costa Rica. He had a broad range of interesting facts about nature, which helped his business quite a bit. The year was 1989, and Chito was walking along the bank of the Reventazon River when he happened upon something very strange. There was a dying male crocodile. When he stepped up to investigate the skinny reptile, he realized it had been shot through the head and the left eye.

He knew, dangerous as it was, he couldn’t leave the poor animal there, alone and helpless. Chito acted quickly, calling for the help of several brave friends to load the heavy reptile into his boat. He knew that if he could heal it, he would then release it back into the wild. He named the huge reptile “Pocho”, which means strength, and began to care for him in his own backyard.

The kind and helpful fisherman started to heal Pocho with medicine, food, and, more importantly, lots of care and attention. Chito fed the crocodile a steady diet of chicken and fish. He bought medicine to prevent infection and even slept by his side at night.

Affection was one of the most important factors. Chito gave him kisses and hugs; he talked to him and petted him. “The crocodile needed my love to regain the will to live,”he said. In time, Pocho improved enough to return to normal health. It was time for him to return to his own river in the wild. Chito and his friends loaded the crocodile back into his boat and released him in a nearby river. The two parted ways and Chito returned home alone.

Chito awoke the next morning and walked outside.

Pocho had bonded with his savior.