A Living Laboratory
for Endangered Species
Before a breeding strategy reaches the field, it is built here. RSCF's 30-acre South Florida facility is the operational core behind every recovery program we run, the place where husbandry protocols, reproductive science, and veterinary technique are developed, tested, and proven for the species that need them most.
CAPTIVE BREEDING CENTER - LOXAHATCHEE, FL
From Protocol To Practice
Recovery doesn't start in the field. It starts here, at RSCF's breeding and research facility.
Applied Research​
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RSCF specializes in developing husbandry protocols, reproductive biology, and veterinary techniques for critically endangered taxa.​​
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Our management strategies focus on fitness, colony and herd dynamics, and natural behavior encouragment.
Veterinary and Neonatal Medicine
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Incubation, hand-rearing, and emergency care refined at the Animal Recovery Center. RSCF has developed successful hand-rearing protocols for species considered exceptionally difficult to raise by hand, including the red-browed Amazon parrot, pygmy marmoset, and mountain bongo antelope.
Training the Next Generation​
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RSCF offers technical training and assistance to overseas partners, and hands-on experience for students, interns, and visiting scholars through university partnerships. ​
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We pave the way for the conservationists who will carry this work forward.
In-situ Linkage
RSCF's captive programs directly connect to wild population recovery through repatriation and field partnerships.
ANIMAL RECOVERY CENTER - ARC
Where Hope is Hatched
The ARC is RSCF's dedicated facility for the treatment, care, and rehabilitation of the rare and endangered species in our care. More than a clinic, it is a vital hub where our team works around the clock to give each individual the best possible chance at survival.
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The ARC is also a living classroom, offering students, researchers, and wildlife professionals hands-on training in conservation medicine, emergency care, and wildlife health protocols. We are actively building the next generation of conservationists here.
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Built with the generous support of Dr. Al Sears of the Sears Institute, the ARC reflects the belief that a healthy planet and healthy people are inseparable.
About our partnership: Dr. Al Sears was instrumental in the creation of RSCF's Animal Recovery Center, believing that the health of global wildlife directly impacts the wellbeing of the human population. His support makes our emergency response capability possible.
The 2023 Parrot Rescue
Miami International Airport · May 2023
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Confiscated endangered parrot eggs and chicks, every single one successfully incubated and hand-reared at the ARC.
When customs officials at Miami International Airport discovered a bag filled with smuggled parrot eggs and chicks, RSCF's Animal Recovery Center was called into action. Without the ARC's specialized incubation equipment, temperature-controlled environments, and trained staff, this mission would not have been possible.
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Inside the facility, our team carefully incubated every egg and provided round-the-clock care to hand-rear each fragile chick, a monumental effort that stands as a testament to what the ARC makes possible every day.
2019 FACILITY EXPANSION
A Stronger Hub for Conservation Programs
The addition of a contiguous 5-acre parcel transformed RSCF's campus into a fully integrated international research and conservation center, significantly expanding our capacity to save species.
Animal Care & Recovery
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Enhanced large-animal barn and the new Animal Recovery Center (ARC) with veterinary diagnostics, emergency care, incubation, and brooding facilities.
Education & Outreach
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Dedicated facilities for students, interns, visiting scholars, and the public, including symposia spaces and expanded university partnerships with FIU's Tropical Conservation Institute and others.
Research & Science Infrastructure
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Expanded laboratory space, life-support systems, specimen storage, and specialized equipment supporting propagation programs and endangered species research.
Institutional Partnerships
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Enhanced hub for collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, Zoo Miami, Florida International University, and international NGOs.
"As space for nature disappears, the need for captive management strategies targeting critically endangered species only grows."
RSCF's interdisciplinary programs integrate field research, captive propagation, husbandry protocol development, and protected-area policy, linking every animal in our care to a larger mission of wild recovery.