Japanese man has adopted a giant 6ft 8in, 46kg caiman.
Nobumitsu Murabayashi, 65, is regularly seen strolling down the roads of Kure City in Hiroshima, Japan with his unlikely pet.
The gentle giant lives with Mr. Murabayashi and his wife where he roams freely in their home.
Amazingly, he purchased the alligator-like animal as a baby 34 years ago from an exotic animal festival.
He was given permission from the city's government to keep the unusual pet, he imaginatively calls Caiman, at home.
He said: 'I never thought he would grow this big. It has been 34 years since I got him. I try to communicate with him through actions such as brushing his teeth, etc.'
Mr. Murabayashi admits his long suffering wife isn't necessarily a big fan of Caiman.
He said: 'Every day my wife is more fed up with me. So I spend my days with Caiman instead.'
His bizarre friendship - which includes petting, brushing its teeth and walking him on a lead - led to numerous local TV appearances that made him a minor celebrity.
At home the spectacled caiman spends most of his time in the tatami room - a traditional Japanese room using flooring made from rice straw - and the bathroom.
Caiman also has his own large tub of water at the front of the house.
But, Mr. Murabayashi admits, keeping up with the eating habits of his pet can be tricky.
He has to change his traditional sliding paper doors every year due to damage from his hefty lodger.
Experts estimate the caiman has a life expectancy of anywhere between 50 and 70 years and Mr. Murabayashi hopes to live 'another 30 years' so he can continue to care for his beloved pet.
Nobumitsu Murabayashi, 65, is regularly seen strolling down the roads of Kure City in Hiroshima, Japan with his unlikely pet.
The gentle giant lives with Mr. Murabayashi and his wife where he roams freely in their home.
Amazingly, he purchased the alligator-like animal as a baby 34 years ago from an exotic animal festival.
He was given permission from the city's government to keep the unusual pet, he imaginatively calls Caiman, at home.
He said: 'I never thought he would grow this big. It has been 34 years since I got him. I try to communicate with him through actions such as brushing his teeth, etc.'
Mr. Murabayashi admits his long suffering wife isn't necessarily a big fan of Caiman.
He said: 'Every day my wife is more fed up with me. So I spend my days with Caiman instead.'
His bizarre friendship - which includes petting, brushing its teeth and walking him on a lead - led to numerous local TV appearances that made him a minor celebrity.
At home the spectacled caiman spends most of his time in the tatami room - a traditional Japanese room using flooring made from rice straw - and the bathroom.
Caiman also has his own large tub of water at the front of the house.
But, Mr. Murabayashi admits, keeping up with the eating habits of his pet can be tricky.
He has to change his traditional sliding paper doors every year due to damage from his hefty lodger.
Experts estimate the caiman has a life expectancy of anywhere between 50 and 70 years and Mr. Murabayashi hopes to live 'another 30 years' so he can continue to care for his beloved pet.
Music: "Indore" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: DailyMail, PerthNow
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