Ron Magill - Wildlife Conservationist

Ron is.............THE MAN at the zoo. Born in New York City, his father a Cuban immigrant, and his mother the daughter of Colombian and German immigrants, he always loved animals, and initially wanted to be a veterinarian. After his family moved down to Florida in 1972 to live on a farm and raise horses in addition to mangos & avocados, he was truly exposed to the raw outdoors. His first job with animals was at the Miami Serpentarium, and his senior year at UF, he was offered the job of zookeeper for the zoo in Crandon Park in Key Biscayne. His first big mentor was Jim Fowler, a side host for the show "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom", who taught him even more about carrying forward a sense of play and wonder with the animals. After being hired as zookeeper for the Miami Zoo, he eventually stared his own endowment, the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment, raising millions of dollars to support high tech equipment for conservation efforts, & enabling youth with scholarships in the field. If he had a billion dollars, he would invest it in the education and sustainable work opportunities of those living in developing countries very near to precious animal reserves. A strong believer in holding up our promise to the urban development line in Miami, he is passionate about preservationism and has many close friends to thank for his progress thus far. Follow him on IG @ronmagillwildlife and listen closely to the episode, to hear some of Ron's favorite underrated spots to see wildlife, in both South Florida and his favorite getaway spot, Africa. He is the man behind the Lion King. Thank you Ron.