by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
White Oak Conservation Center is a 600-acre facility in the center of White Oak Plantation, which encompasses 7,500 acres of North Florida and South Georgia about 30 miles north of Jacksonville.
Established in 1981, the center is involved in breeding and raising more than 25 species of endangered and threatened wildlife.
In addition to exotic animals, White Oak also is involved in breeding and preserving the Florida panther and the Mississippi sand hill crane.
The cheetah breeding program began in 1987. Since then, 141 cheetahs have been born at White Oak.
“We’re one of the few places that have been successful with cheetahs,” said Stephanie Rutan, who manages White Oak’s donor relations program.
Rutan has worked with animals all her life, including five years as mammal curator at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens before joining White Oak’s staff almost 17 years ago as a carnivore keeper.
Now she serves as the liaison between the center and its financial supporters. Rutan spends much of her time conducting tours of the center and introducing its inhabitants to donors and potential donors.
“Showing the animals to visitors has been part of my job wherever I worked. It’s also my way of seeing the animals every day,” she said.
As Rutan drives to the office from her home in St. Mary’s, Ga., each morning, she often pauses after she’s on the property and crosses a bridge over the Little St. Mary’s River.
Rutan said it’s an opportunity to experience the vast North Florida wilderness that extends to the horizon in all directions.
“Sometimes, I’ll stop and look around and think, ‘Hey, I work here,’” she said.
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