Thursday, March 26, 2026
Eight chauchau and a single alarm call
By Omar Enrique Verdugo Cabeza, Cuidador de las aves
In the Los Guardianes sector, near Cameron's enclosure, guardian Omar Enrique Berdugo noticed something out of the ordinary: eight chauchau gathered together, singing without pause, every one of them with their gaze fixed on the ground below. It wasn't the scattered midday chatter or the usual restless fluttering — it was that insistent, coordinated sound these birds reserve for when they have something to say.
Berdugo approached slowly. There, among the leaf litter, lay the reason for all the commotion: a patoco resting on the ground, unhurried, indifferent to the small assembly denouncing it from the branches above. The snake had not gone unnoticed for even a moment — the forest has its own surveillance systems, and the chauchau are among the most efficient.
It was a reminder of something the sanctuary teaches you quickly: you have to know how to listen. It wasn't the guardian's eye that found the patoco first — it was those eight insistent voices that showed him exactly where to look.
About the author
Omar Enrique Verdugo Cabeza · Cuidador de las aves
Omar has been working at Fundación Loros since 2023. He knows the wilderness and Cerro El Peligro better than anyone. Once a hunter, he has since become a guardian of wildlife. Today, the parrots recognize him and follow him when he returns home — a testament to a bond built on respect and transformation.