White Oak Plantation-The coolest place in Florida

A friend recently visited White Oak Plantation with an organization she belongs to.  I had the opportunity to visit it twice in the past with my husband and our wonderful neighbors who hosted the trips.

White Oak represents big money at its best.  Originally the private estate of the Gilman family whose fortune came from paper mills, the 7500 acre on former rice plantation straddling the St. Mary's River has at its heart a 600 acre conservation facility, home to more than three dozen species of endangered or threatened animals, many of whom had not been bred in captivity until arriving at White Oak.

Howard Gilman built a studio there for Mikhail  Baryshnikov.  I remember a big flap when Bill Clinton stayed there over the closing of some of the access roads.

Gilman International Conservation (GIC)is a subsidiary of White Oak Conservation Center, which is dedicated to supporting international efforts to support flagship species. Among other projects, GIC has funded (with assistance from diverse zoos) The Okapi Wildlife Reserve (13,700 square kilometers of rainforest in the Congo).  They are a founding member of the International Rhino Foundation, and a long term partner of the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Interested groups can enjoy one of a limited number of private tours by calling 1-904-225-3200.

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Interesting fact for today:  You may have heard of white and black rhinos.  The white rhino is not white.  It is so called because its mouth is wide, and the Dutch word for "wide" is similar to the word for "white", so that what should have been a wide rhino became a white one, and the other rhino, the one with the narrow mouth, became, by default, a black rhino, even though their hides are similar in color.

[Illustrations from the web site's photo gallery:  Okapi, Baryshnikov's studio, rhino]

Comments

[Joan]

I have neveer seen that first animal - odd looking thing.