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Ron Magill is an American wildlife expert and photographer. Nowadays he is the communications director of Zoo Miami, the largest Zoo in Florida and one of the biggest in the US. Magill’s experience on animals and wildlife came from many travels around the world in expeditions, including Alaska, Africa, Antarctica, the Amazon Forest and many other incredible places. With regular appearances in TV and radio shows, the director spread the image of the zoo and also raised eco-awareness about the world environment. Besides, he has won already 5 Emmy Awards.
The zoo’s mission has also evolved. It goes way beyond just displaying animals. Magill says the goal now is to inspire environmental conservation.
“My favorite saying in the world is life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, it’s measured by the number of times your breath is taken away, and when I can show someone an image and they go oohhhh! and it takes their breath away, it’s as close as I can get to taking their hand and bringing them to the place with me,” Magill said.
In all the years working at Metro Zoo Miai, Magill has seen a big transformation at the place. The old location at Crandon Park had cramped animal prison cells with bars. Zoo Miami’s spacious exhibits mimics natural habitats. The latest addition, Mission: Everglades, houses alligators, black bears, a Florida panther, crocodiles, and other animals native to South Florida.
“And that’s really important because I think one of the big, important messages zoos have to show is think globally but act locally and we need to show people in South Florida what we have in our own back yard,” Magill said.
Zoo Miami is a great thing to do in Miami with kids. The entire family will have fun and learn a lot about wildlife in the world.
Read More: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/ron-magill-40-years-at-zoo-miami/2146243/
