It’s a pretty common (and mostly heartwarming) sight for children to develop deep and special bonds with animals. However, these adorable encounters usually happen with puppies or cats and less likely with wild animals. Therefore, a little boy sharing a special friendship with a huge stingray is definitely something you won’t see every day. Plus, the boy’s unusual friend lives in the ocean! But that doesn’t stop Joel from interacting with his giant friend. The boy, in fact, waits on the platform every morning for his friend to welcome him. In exchange the little human offers him some fresh fish!
The unusual meeting took place in Gran Rey, a small fishing village of almost 4,000 inhabitants, in the Canary Islands, Spain. A peaceful place where people still live in strong communion with wildlife. And since children also spend their days fishing on the steps near the village harbor, bycatch usually returns to the waters, attracting large marine animals, including stingrays.
Although watching the little boy offering treats to a gentle giant is certainly a sight to behold. And luckily, a tourist captured the incredible moment on camera and uploaded it to Youtube. As expected, the images went viral and have reached almost 60 million views so far. While watching Joel feed and pet his unlikely friend is heartwarming, one must always be aware that these are wild animals and while the breeds are not generally aggressive, one wrong move can be deadly.
