About Us

Established in 1982, White Oak Conservation Center strives to achieve productive conservation results through the integration of its breeding programs into efforts to save those species in the wild, and by providing training and research opportunities in veterinary science and conservation biology.

White Oak Conservation Center occupies 600 of the 7,400 acres that make up White Oak Plantation, situated in northeast Florida along the St. Marys River, 30 miles north of Jacksonville.  A staff of approximately 25 zoologists, clinical personnel, and their support groups are involved in conservation efforts for an animal collection of more than 25 species.  White Oak’s semi-tropical climate is conducive to meeting many of the biological needs of species threatened by exploitive human activities, competition from invasive species and deleterious changes or loss of habitat in the world’s tropical savannahs and rainforests.

For each species at White Oak Conservation Center, a conservation strategy is developed which promotes linkage of the captive component with a holistic program to save that species in the wild.  Significant resources and a professionally trained staff have allowed the Conservation Center to provide large naturalistic enclosures and focused husbandry programs which maximize the contribution of our animal collection to critical international efforts to conserve wildlife.

From this location in the U.S., White Oak Conservation Center manages the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP). Located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), the OCP includes a breeding and research station for the okapi in the middle of the Ituri Rainforest.  Many zoos and wildlife institutions provide financial support, offering the fiscal resources needed to manage a 13,700 square kilometer reserve for okapi and many other species of indigenous wildlife.  In Africa and Asia, through the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), White Oak Conservation Center is supporting intensely managed sanctuaries and protective measures for the most endangered of the world’s rhino species. White Oak Conservation Center encourages the involvement of local people and national governments in field projects so that the long-term cultural support is in place for the projects to succeed and contribute to the conservation of the earth’s natural diversity.

Closer to home, White Oak Conservation Center provides facilities for the propagation, rehabilitation and release of Florida panthers and Mississippi sandhill cranes. The Conservation Center sponsors training and research programs for clinicians, zoologists and reproductive physiologists.  Our research program offers opportunities for pre- and post-doctoral professionals to study our rare species in naturalistic surroundings and groupings.

White Oak Plantation provides an exceptionally productive setting for meetings, conferences, and workshops.  Numerous conservation groups meet at White Oak each year to advance conservation actions around the world.

Our efforts for conservation are all encompassing, and are made more successful and productive by focusing on specific species and programs which, when supported by our unique resources and outstanding staff, can have a real chance of ensuring their survival in the wild.