Across the water from the Indian Pass campground, you can see St. Vincent Island, which was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1968. Accessible only by boat, St. Vincent Island is a 12,300 acre island home to numerous shore birds, an abundance of alligators, nesting ospreys and bald eagles, Peregrine falcons, wood storks, Sambar deer (an exotic elk that averages 500-600 lbs and is native to Southeast Asia), and the native white-tailed deer. The refuge also serves as a stop-over point for neotropical migratory birds and as a haven for threatened and endangered wildlife such as loggerhead, green, and leatherback sea turtles, indigo snakes, gopher tortoises, and the red wolf, which is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Visitors may reach the island aboard the St. Vincent Shuttle Service that departs from Indian Pass or by private boat charter.
