Meet Ron Magill | Zoo Goodwill Ambassador and Wildlife Conservationist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ron Magill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ron, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success was having great parents and mentors who taught me to never stop believing in myself. One of the great lessons that I learned from them was that failure is not the opposite of success, it is the path to success. By failing, I learned how to succeed. It is also important to realize that you should never stop learning. Another key to my success was being able to be an effective communicator and public speaker. When I started working with animals over 45 years ago, most of my co-workers chose to work with animals because they didn’t feel comfortable working with people. I love working with both and it has enabled me to connect people to animals in a special way that makes them care. There is an old saying that states, “In the end, we protect what we love, we love what we understand, and we understand what we are taught.” I love being able to teach people about why we should care about animals specifically, and wildlife in general.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always focused my career on the care and protection of wildlife. I started as a zookeeper and gradually worked my way up through the ranks to my present position as Zoo Communications and Media Relations Director. However, I didn’t come to work for the zoo so long ago to work for an attraction. I came to work for an organization that was going to make an impact on wildlife conservation. Though I have worked in a zoo for 45 years, I believe that in a perfect world, we would not need any zoos. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to travel to Africa to see a giraffe walking across the plains, or to the Amazon to see a jaguar hunting in the jungle, or to Australia to see a koala in a Eucalyptus tree. Unfortunately, most people will never get those opportunities, so zoos provide important windows to help connect people to wildlife in a way that inspires them to want to protect it. With that said, zoos have to do much more than simply put an animal on a fancy exhibit. They need to provide significant dollars to help ensure that the species of wildlife they choose to exhibit can survive in the wild where it belongs, because if the zoo is the last place where we can see animals, then zoos have failed. What I am most proud of in my career is establishing the “Ron Magill Conservation Endowment” at the Zoo Miami Foundation. I have personally raised over $3 million for the endowment which annually provides tens of thousands of dollars to conservation efforts around the world. Money from the endowment can only be used to provide direct assistance to conservation projects in the wild, as well as educational programs and scholarships for students who have dedicated themselves to a career in wildlife conservation. The second thing I am most proud of is leading the fight against the development of a water park on critical habitat at Zoo Miami. Though I was explicitly told by my superiors that I was forbidden from speaking out against the project, I followed my heart and moral beliefs, went against their directives, and publicly led the effort to successfully defeat the project. The important lesson that I learned during this effort was that you always need to do what you believe is right, no matter the odds against you. For me not to speak out against this project, no matter how many millions of dollars were at stake, would have made me a hypocrite as a conservationist. At the end of the day, it is more important for me to keep my credibility and integrity than it is to keep any job that would contradict that. Though I certainly faced challenges throughout my career, I enjoyed what I did so much that I can’t say that it was “hard” to get to where I am today. I’ve also been incredibly blessed to be married to my most amazing wife, Rita, who has given me unconditional support through this fantastic journey. The reality is that I was very lucky to be in the right place at the right time and to be mentored by truly inspiring people. I learned from my parents at a very early age that passion and dedication lead to success, though it may often take some patience. In addition, I learned that there is no substitute for experience, and whenever you have the opportunity to learn from someone else’s experience, you need to seize it!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first thing that I would advise my friend planning a trip to South Florida would be to come sometime between the months of November and March. The weather is beautiful, and it opens the door to enjoying many more outdoor activities. It goes without saying that I would bring them to Zoo Miami and be there as the gates first open to the public. Getting there early, they will beat the crowds, and it is when they will see the most activity from the animals as they explore their habitats. I would spend a weekend day and evening in the rejuvenated Coconut Grove. There are lots of great places to eat and drink while strolling along Bayside Drive and enjoying the sites. There is also a wonderful variety of shops and galleries to enjoy. One of my favorite places to eat there is Level 6 Rooftop. Great views and delicious food! Lunch at Greenstreet Cafe has delicious food and entertaining people watching when you eat outdoors. I would spend a day taking them to John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo to do some snorkeling or perhaps a glass bottom boat tour over the beautiful reefs and then watch the sunset while having some great comfort food at Jimmy Johnson’s “Big Chill” restaurant overlooking the water. For my signature dinner evening, I would bring them the Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Bar which is my very favorite restaurant that serves the most delicious food I have ever eaten! Assuming they were visiting during the winter months, I would certainly take them to Everglades National Park and enjoy a walk on the Anhinga Trail and then continue on down to Flamingo where I would spend the night in the newly renovated Flamingo Lodge and then experience some of the many wonderful activities available at Flamingo from fishing to kayaking! Finally, in order to get a feel for the incredible Latin flavor of Miami, I’d take them to Calle Ocho (8th Street) to get some homemade ice cream at Azucar and enjoy some great live music at Ball and Chain!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The most important people who deserve credit for my success are my late parents. They taught me important values and instilled the confidence I needed to succeed. They came from very little and made tremendous sacrifices so that my sister and I would not have to struggle as they did. In addition, the late Jim Fowler, legendary co-host of the wildlife documentary show, “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” was a huge mentor to me for decades until the day he passed away. Watching him on television as a small boy inspired me to pursue the career that I enjoy so much today. Getting to finally meet him in person nearly 40 years ago was a dream come true. He took me under his wing and showed me how to work with animals. Most importantly, he showed me how to properly respect animals. One of the most important things that he taught me is that if you properly respect an animal, you should never be in a position to be afraid of it. Finally, it is my co-workers who I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to for always making me look good. I carry a bit of a chip on my shoulder because I often get credit for things that I don’t deserve. It is the people behind the scenes who the public doesn’t often see that deserve most of that credit.

Website: https://www.ronmagill.org

Instagram: @ronmagillwildlife

Twitter: @ronmagill

Facebook: Ron Magill

Image Credits
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