OUR HISTORY
From Trailers in the Wilderness
to a Mission Without Limits
Thirty years of refusing to accept extinction as inevitable.
1994
THE BEGINNING
Six bongo. Eleven parrots. A handful of marmosets. And an idea.
The core of what would become RSCF was remarkably humble. Before there were buildings, before there was a campus, there were animals in need, and people determined to help them.
What began as an idea, and little more than a handful of trailers in the wilds of unincorporated South Florida, has grown into something far greater than its founders could have imagined.
In 1994, the core of RSCF's program was small: six critically endangered mountain bongo, eleven critically endangered red-browed Amazon parrots, and a handful of pygmy marmosets. A year later, in 1995, the organization was formally incorporated, but the work had already begun.
1995
INCORPORATION
A name. A mission. A non-profit on record.
The Rare Species Conservatory Foundation was officially incorporated as a tax-exempt nonprofit, formalizing what had already been set in motion. Joined by founding board member Dr. Richard Estes, RSCF founder and director Dr. Paul Reillo began laying the groundwork for programs that would take years , sometimes decades, to fully realize.
The trailers remained. So did the determination.
2000
DOMINICA - EASTERN CARIBBEAN
The largest gamble in RSCF history. And it paid off.
In 2000, RSCF secured over one million dollars to purchase land and establish the Morne Diablotin National Park on the island of Dominica, the first new national park of the new millennium. The park protects critical rainforest habitat for Dominica's critically endangered national bird, the Imperial Amazon, and stands today as a landmark conservation achievement born from the same audacity that has defined RSCF from the start.
Today, MDNP is considered the best spot in the Caribbean to see incredible rare, endemic wildlife.
2004
KENYA - MOUNTAIN BONGO REPATRIATION
A decade of work. A historic return.
At the helm was RSCF founder Dr. Paul Reillo, joined by founding board member Dr. Richard Estes. In 1995 they dared to imagine something never attempted before: returning mountain bongo, born and raised in the United States, to their native Africa.
It meant reaching out to the United Nations Foundation, the Kenya Wildlife Service and others willing to entertain an audacious pitch from a small Florida nonprofit. It took a decade of planning, fundraising, and relentless determination to lay the groundwork for something no one else had ever attempted.
And in 2004, it happened. 18 bongo made the journey from Florida to Kenya.
2014
ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP - MIAMI, FL
Academic rigor meets field reality.
In 2014, RSCF joined forces with Florida International University to establish the Tropical Conservation Institute, an innovative collaboration uniting conservation zoology, hands-on project implementation, and professional development under one roof.
TCI brings together conservation leaders, students, and researchers to conserve and recover critical species and biodiversity-rich ecosystems. The partnership extends RSCF's reach into academia, amplifying the science behind the mission and training the next generation of conservation professionals.
2024
KENYA - MOUNTAIN BONGO REPATRIATION CONTINUES
Twenty years later, the journey continues.
Two decades after the historic first repatriation, RSCF returned to Kenya with a second cohort of 17 mountain bongo, bringing the total number of animals repatriated from the United States to Africa to 35. The program that once existed only as an idea pitched to skeptics has become one of the most significant bongo conservation efforts in the world.
The work is far from over. A third repatriation is planned for 2027, continuing the decades-long commitment to recovering this critically endangered species in its native range.
Today
LOXAHATCHEE, FL - RSCF CAMPUS
A true campus. An expanding mission.
Three decades after those first trailers, RSCF has grown into a true 30-acre campus, home to a dedicated animal recovery center, staff housing, meeting and education spaces, and an expanding footprint of land conservancy and green space. A living, breathing institution built to sustain this mission for generations to come.
The red-browed Amazon program, once a handful of birds on the edge of extinction, now tops 100 individuals, with active plans underway to repatriate up to 50 birds to Brazil. The mountain bongo program continues, with the next repatriation planned for 2027. And new partnerships keep opening new frontiers.
Fueled by savvy donors, national and international partners across three continents and a global network of scientists, conservationists, and supporters, RSCF continues to grow. Not just in acreage but in impact.
"What began as trailers in the wilderness has become something far greater.
Not because the goal changed, but because we never stopped pushing toward it."
