The Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation (HZPF) was formed in July 2011 as a not-for-profit organization to aid in the restoration and preservation of the fauna and flora of the Hope Zoo. It also seeks to offer a safe and interactive wildlife experience through educational programmes in animal care and development as well as the active preservation of threatened, indigenous and exotic species.

Since inception, the Foundation has been working to fulfill its mandate through partnerships on diverse initiatives to protect the unique biodiversity of our island. We believe it is our ethical obligation to successive generations. It is on that basis that the Foundation did not hesitate to get involved in the Iguana Head start initiative. The Jamaican iguana (Cyclura collei) was declared extinct in the 1940’s only to be rediscovered in 1990 when a hunter came across a live specimen. Immediate intervention after its rediscovery led to a successful head-start programme in 1991.