Carlos grew up in a countryside located in the southern part of the central mountain range in the Dominican Republic; surrounded by forests, rivers, waterfalls and many birds. Having spent his entire childhood in the countryside, he has always had a lot of appreciation and curiosity for nature in all its expressions, but especially birds. His first encounter with a Red-tailed Hawk occurred while he was playing in the river. The impression of seeing this imposing bird fly above him, sparked his interest and fascination with birds of prey early on.
As a teenager he rescued a juvenile female American Kestrel named Kelly and this was how he discovered falconry. He came across the book “The Art of Falconry” by Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, and learned more about birds of prey, their biology, their care, the responsibility and ethics of the falconer. Though there were no other falconers in the country to mentor him, falconers in other countries provided guidance and shared their experiences, further encouraging his curiosity about raptors. Shortly after, he became a volunteer for the raptor rehabilitation program at the National Zoo, as a way of collaborating with the plight of birds of prey in the Dominican Republic. He passed his days between university classes and going out into the field to fly birds, looking for a balance between his academic training and being a falconer. At the zoo, he learned about the Ridgway's Hawk project and after several years as a collaborator, caring for some injured hawks, he officially became a part of The Peregrine Fund team.
After more than a decade living with raptors, he is happy to connect with people who have the same fascination for these species and assume the responsibility of preserving them.
