Four Horses and a Dog on the Way to the Hilltop

Before the sun had fully warmed the day, Nilson headed out to the Vista Hermosa pasture to round up Indio, Sombra, el Pony, and Corosito. He gathered them one by one from the grass, led each to the corral with a halter, bathed them with water and shampoo, and saddled them without hurry. By the time all four stood gleaming in the morning light, two visitors were already waiting at El Paraíso — the main headquarters of Fundación Loros — eager to take in the reserve from the back of a horse. The ride set off along the dirt trails that climb toward Cerro El Peligro. The hills emerged gradually through the thick green vegetation, flanked by full-canopied trees, the sky above heavy with white clouds. Happy, the foundation's dog, needed no invitation: from the very first steps he trotted alongside the group, weaving between hooves and legs as though he'd been doing it for years. The final destination was the bird release site — that high point on the hilltop where rehabilitated animals take their last step before returning to the wild on their own terms. The visitors saw it for themselves: the open landscape, the quiet between the trees, and the understanding that this same hillside is, for so many birds, the beginning of something entirely new.