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Rare Species Fund

THE RARE SPECIES FUND IS A NON-PROFIT GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND PRACTICAL TRAINING TO IN-SITU WILDLIFE CONSERVATION INITIATIVES

This direct-to-end-user approach places RSF among the world's most effective conservation agencies. The RSF contributes to those efforts that have shown themselves to be the most viable in realworld conservation of wild species populations.

By putting essential money and equipment directly into the hands of people implementing the programs, RSF ensures the greatest value for every dollar spent.

RSF also works closely with various state, federal and international agencies to help develop sound governmental policies pertaining to conserving and protecting the world's wildlife.

By assuring sustained funding for long-term research and conservation projects, RSF optimizes the prospects for preserving endangered species; for releasing excaptive animals into suitable, protected habitats; and for expanding awareness of the ties between humans and the natural world.
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Tigers

In 2005, RSF hand-delivered seven tigers and oversaw the creation of their habitat in the Samutprakarn Wildlife Park in Thailand, the first group of uniquely colored tigers to be established anywhere in Asia. RSF funding supports Thailand's Khao Yai project by providing in-country teams with the means to purchase equipment and learn anti-poaching techniques. RSF also supports training and capacity-building efforts within the Carnivore Conservation Project in Northern Thailand, which seeks to secure the population of wild tigers in Khao Yai National Park.

Tigers are a barometer of the natural world and ideal wildlife ambassadors for stimulating support of conservation efforts. Estimates by watchdog agencies suggest the worldwide population of tigers has dropped nearly 95% in the past forty years: barely 3,000 individuals remain at large. Up-close and un-caged encounters in properly managed private facilities— in particular, personal contact with the rare and colorful royal white and golden tabby tigers— evokes a lasting emotional response and stimulates the public's interest in supporting tiger preservation efforts.
Tigers

Many tiger conservation programs divide tiger species along geographic and political lines (Siberia, Indochina, South China, Sumatra, and Bengal). Recent genetic evidence suggests that all modern tigers have descended from a common ancestry dating back only a few thousand years, and that geographic and political borders in no way define what a tiger is. RSF seeks out the finest tiger preservation projects for its support, with emphasis on those natural varieties too often overlooked by conversation programs.

"A TIGER FROM SUMATRA AND A TIGER FROM SOUTH CHINA HAVE LESS GENETIC DIFFERENCES THAN A PERSON FROM IRELAND AND A PERSON FROM ASIA"
— Stephen J. O'Brien
Chief, Laboratory of Genomic Diversity,
National Cancer Institute
 
Cheetah Cheetahs
RSF supports nine different conservation projects throughout Africa, including the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Cheetah Outreach, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. In Zimbabwe, RSF funds have allowed the Matabeleland Leopard and Cheetah Project to purchase radio collars to track problem animals that have been trans-located. GPS tracking helps lower hunting quotas.
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Jaguars Jaguars

RSF funds assisted the Smithsonian Institution in taking battery operated televisions into the South American rainforest to show remote villages and rural populations a short film of the beauty of jaguars and other South American mega fauna. Due to habitat destruction millions of children and adults who inhabit this region never see these animals in the wild, and the film was part of a widely heralded project to enlighten the native people about their own natural resources. The film was shot using Inca, an adult male jaguar raised at the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve.

Jaguars from the Preserve were also used as key characters in the film "Jaguar, Year of the Cat" made by "Nature" for international broadcast. This program included the only film clips in the world of a mother jaguar and her cubs in a wild setting. RSF is currently supporting a program that reimburses farmers for livestock lost to wild predators, including jaguars. This initiative ensures that the predators do not become a financial liability for the farmers and are therefore less likely to be illegally poached. The RSF rewards farmers in the program who set aside a minimum of twenty percent of their land to be kept in its natural wild state. This ensures a viable habitat for the jaguar and other indigenous wildlife such as tapirs, monkeys, toucans, sloths, caiman and spectacled bears.
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Orangutan Orangutans
RSF supports nine different conservation projects throughout Africa, including the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Cheetah Outreach, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. In Zimbabwe, RSF funds have allowed the Matabeleland Leopard and Cheetah Project to purchase radio collars to track problem animals that have been trans-located. GPS tracking helps lower hunting quotas.
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