A Turtle, Fresh Water, and Papaya at El Peligro

That Thursday, with the sun bearing down hard over Cerro El Peligro, Omar Enrique Berdugo Cabeza was going about his work — cleaning the cages at the macaw release station — when something made him stop. In a damp corner where water dripped onto the earth, a wild turtle had found her refuge from the heat. Omar watched her slowly. He noticed the animal was still, seeking coolness in that small patch of wet ground. Without much deliberation, he brought her water and a slice of papaya. The turtle accepted, at her own pace, the way they do. Then, when she was ready, she made her way back into the forest, disappearing into the vegetation with that calm that only belongs to those who know their path well. It was one of those sightings that weren't in the day's plan but make the hours richer for having happened. Omar recorded it on video: proof that at Fundación Loros, even on the hottest of afternoons, the forest always has something to show.