Dragon Ranch Foundation

Mike and Valerie Kennedy founded a  501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization formed to rescue and house exotic animals and fight for the preservation of endangered species across the globe.  Mike graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Zoology and dreamed of working with animals as his career but, as life would have it, ended up making his living in Aviation like his father before him. He never abandoned his passion for animals and has put his degree to good use caring for animals in need.  Dragon Ranch is one of the only private facilities in the state of Florida authorized to rescue and rehabilitate the America Crocodile.

While the American crocodile is found in Central and South America, in the United States they inhabit only the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. When an American becomes too acclimated to people he may end up being considered a nuisance and removed from the wild to be placed with either a zoo or private facility as they are highly protected. Unlike the American Crocodile if an alligator reaches nuisance status a trapper is often called in and the animal is harvested for the meat and hide. While the state of Florida grants the license to rescue these giant reptiles the cost of housing these animals falls exclusively on the zoo or private facility. For this reason Dragon Ranch Foundation was formed to raise money for the care, feeding and medical attention these animals need. 

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Mike's latest project involves flying tactical support for Field Ranger teams on the ground in the war against rhino and elephant poaching in Africa.  In Kruger Park alone in South Africa 3 rhinos a day are lost to poachers and 96 elephants a day are lost continent wide. At the current rate there will not be a wild rhino on the planet by 2025.