Wildlife expert shares his triumphant story
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill was in Panama City when he saw two harpy eagles in dire conditions.
It was a favorite animal of his growing up, and the heart-breaking scene served as motivation to spark change. More than 20 years later, his efforts spearheaded a movement celebrating these creatures as a proud symbol for the country. The wildlife expert and the zoo’s communications director shared his triumphant story during a recent talk at Broward College’s Davie campus. Magill’s aim was to show people, especially youth, how a single person can be impactful.
“A lot of people think that if they are not part of a big organization or company that one voice can’t make a difference,” he said. “When I started this project, I was nobody. Through writing good letters and meeting with people and setting up a web of good communication, we were able to change an entire country. We were able to fundraise $1 million for our project and a sanctuary for these birds thanks to huge corporations like Sony, American Airlines [and] Visa. The government of Panama actually passed a law naming this bird the national bird of the republic. That was all started by me going there thinking we have to do something different.
Magill’s presentation included photos he took on his various trips to Panama.
“The World of the Harpy Eagle: A Role Model for Tropical Forest Conservation” talk was part of the college’s Earth Day festivities.
“As an organization and college, we need to share and create awareness,” said Diana Honeyblue-Monroe, the campus’ operations supervisor and adviser in the Office of Volunteering and Leadership. “We want to share what is going on, as far as conservation and sustainability initiatives in our area. … We need to motivate our students to create a smaller footprint in their everyday living.”
Michael Jorell Reyes, an environmental engineering student, took Magill’s words to heart.
“It really goes to show you can make a difference as an individual,” he said. “Besides being passionate, he was creative. He saw what he could do. … He had some opposition from peers and others, but he kept going.”… This was inspiring because if you are creative enough and put your chips in the right places, you can create this big movement.”
Sara Lopez, an environmental science major, agreed.
“It’s nice to know that I’m going to school for this, and I can change and do something like he did,” she said. “It brings me joy and faith to know what he did for Panama. … He touches a lot of people and shows them they can do so many things to help their environment.”