Ron Magill shocked many when he announced his retirement after working as a Miami-Dade County employee for 46 years. Fans will be glad to know that he is staying at the zoo.
Magill began working at Crandon Zoo in 1980, now known as Zoo Miami, after leaving the University of Florida.
“I’m officially retiring from the county in May, but I’m not leaving the zoo,” said Magill. “The good news is I’m transitioning to the Zoo Miami Foundation. It’s all the things I love to do, I just won’t have to deal as much with the bureaucracy associated with working for government.”
Magill said the position created for him at the Zoo Miami Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the zoo, will allow him to focus on his endowment, giving presentations to school children and lead the zoo’s travel program. Although he said he is grateful for the opportunities his county position has offered him, Magill looks forward to avoiding the red tape that comes with government work.
After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Magill worked with media outlets to educate the public on how the storm affected the zoo. He said the attention generated support worldwide and helped rebuild the habitats and facilities that were damaged.
“The zoo is better because of the hurricane,” said Magill. “There were never really any previous natural disasters that affected a zoo the way this hurricane affected [us]. We were able to be the focus of network news.”
He described the last 46 years as “exciting, inspiring and rewarding.”
