Benito, Our First Resident
A sulcata tortoise, recently dropped off and now settling in — one of the first to call the hacienda home.
The Heart of It
Hacienda La Fortuna provides lifelong refuge for farm animals and equines that are healthy, stable, and able to thrive in a herd environment. Around the working ranch, the hacienda becomes a permanent home for the animals who arrive needing one — and who are ready for the calm, social life a herd makes possible.
It is built slowly and deliberately, one resident at a time, by the same hands that look after our boarders and with the same patience the animals deserve. This is the quieter side of the hacienda — and a real part of why we're building it.
Who We Welcome
We welcome healthy, stable farm animals and equines that are ready to settle into a herd. The refuge opens progressively — here is the kind of animal we're building it for.
Animals an owner can no longer keep, surrendered into a permanent home where they'll be cared for.
Animals from ranches and farms that are closing down and need somewhere steady to land.
Horses retired from work or sport, healthy and ready for a quieter pace among the herd.
Healthy farm animals who've outlived their place elsewhere and simply need a home that wants them.
Animals at risk of auction or neglect — given a permanent, stable home instead.
Animals who need to be relocated and re-homed into a herd where they can settle for good.
Meet a Resident
Benito is a Sulcata tortoise — the African Spurred Tortoise, one of the largest tortoise species in the world. Estimated at around 70 years old, he was surrendered to Hacienda La Fortuna and now has the room to roam, graze and thrive.
Originally adapted to the dry southern edge of the Sahara, Benito spends his days grazing on grasses, soaking in water and relaxing in the shade. As one of the ranch's most unique residents, he helps visitors learn what it means to give an animal proper care, space and a safe home for life.
A First Look
A sulcata tortoise, recently dropped off and now settling in — one of the first to call the hacienda home.
The first residents arrive to a paddock built for slow mornings and clean air.
A quiet courtyard where smaller residents — donkeys, goats and chickens — find their place in the herd.
Be Part of It
Every resident we welcome is welcomed because someone decided to help. Here are three ways to be that someone.
Choose an animal to follow. Monthly photo updates, your name on their plaque, and a personal letter when their story moves forward — a new friendship, a milestone, a quiet good day. The most direct way to give a resident the life they have here.
A quieter way in. A quarterly newsletter with the residents' stories and the refuge's progress, first-look access to scheduled visit days, and the satisfaction of helping the whole grow.
For those who'd rather give once, meaningfully. Your name is set on a permanent plaque at the hacienda entrance and you're invited — first — to the founders-only opening day. A gift that travels with the hacienda for the long arc.
Make It Possible
The fastest way to help — pick an animal, follow their story, and give them the calm, herd life this place is built for.
Sponsor a Resident