Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill, pictured with one of the attraction’s Komodo dragons / ALL PHOTOS: RON MAGILL
Zoo Miami is in Ron Magill’s blood. As he celebrates his 37th year at the Florida attraction, he’s also celebrating the opening of the long-awaited Mission Everglades exhibit, which focuses on the wildlife and habitats of the zoo’s own doorstep.
Built with an investment of $33m (€31m, £26m), the 4.5-acre (1.8-hectare) expansion features 60 different species native to the region, including alligators, crocodiles, black bears, the Florida panther and a variety of birdlife. The aim is to give visitors an understanding of the importance of the Everglades and demonstrate that local wildlife is under just as much pressure from loss of habitat as species further afield.
“Florida: Mission Everglades is the culmination of many years of understanding the need to have an exhibit that showcases some of the amazing wildlife that occurs right in our own backyard,” says Magill, director of communications at the zoo. “It’s a condensed trip through this natural treasure, providing some amazing up-close and interactive experiences that would be extremely rare or impossible in the wild.”
Entering Florida: Mission Everglades, visitors first experience the aviary and the lake, where they see a variety of indigenous birds such as blue jays, red-bellied wood peckers, pelicans, ibis and herons. Next visitors can enjoy the river otter exhibit and the crocodile exhibit, both of which feature underwater transparent viewing tunnels, before going on to meet land mammals like the black bear and the endangered Florida panther – with live demonstrations between zookeepers and animals – and a variety of native reptiles and amphibians.
Lastly, visitors enter the boardwalk where they can take a rope bridge across the alligator’s watery den, learn the story of the zoo’s rehabilitated bald eagles and climb the treehouse to spot the bobcat, racoon and grey fox. All this is complemented by the cypress-themed adventure playground and cafeteria and a new boat ride, the Lostman’s River Ride.
Threatened ecosystem “The aim is not to satisfy one’s curiosity about the Florida Everglades, but rather to ignite a passion for it that will inspire the visitor to want to learn more and go out and experience the real Everglades for themselves,” says Magill, who started his career at the facility as a zookeeper in 1979. “The message is that all of these natural treasures are directly connected to us in providing not only beautiful wild areas for us to enjoy and visit but also being our main source of fresh drinking water and that to compromise any of these elements can threaten the entire ecosystem which could have catastrophic effects on our quality of life.”
Due to its many innovations and several “firsts” for the zoo, the project posed a fair number of challenges. Some elements had to be dropped in order to stay on budget, and the project was delayed several times due to the demands of the complex engineering and building needed.
“The Life Systems Support elements alone were the largest ever done at the zoo and required a tremendous amount of planning and development,” says Magill.
Magill, who founded the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment to support conservation of the wild counterparts of the zoo’s exhibits, says Mission Everglades has received an overwhelmingly positive response in its first couple of months, the only complaints being that the Florida panther and bald eagle are fairly timid and difficult to see and that the boat ride, which costs $5 per guest, has had mixed reviews.
“With the panther and bald eagle, it’s take time for them to become more comfortable. With the boat ride, we are currently exploring enhancing the ride as well as alternative pricing options.”
With this project, Zoo Miami is investing in its own surroundings to help preserve the Everglades long into the future.
Magill says: “We believe that most visitors will come to the natural conclusion that the Everglades is too beautiful and important to lose and will remember the impact that their visit made on them when it comes to making decisions in the future regarding the protection and wellbeing of this precious environment.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 1
People profile: Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell, father of the video game industry, on his new VR business and the future of technology
People profile: Ron Magill
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill gives the lowdown on the attraction’s new Florida: Mission Everglades zone
People profile: Kim Gladstone Herlev
Denmark’s Experimentarium has reopened after a major renovation. CEO Kim Gladstone Herlev shares his vision for the future
People profile: Jimmy Fallon
Hold on tight! US TV star Jimmy Fallon is the subject of a brand new ride at Universal Orlando
Interview: Matthias Li
Matthias Li, chief executive at Hong Kong’s
Ocean Park, on his response to a changing
visitor profile and rising competition
Pipeline: Opening Doors
There’s an array of attractions set to launch.
We anticipate the hot debuts of the year
Tourism: A Plan for Oman
The Ministry of Tourism’s Maitha Al Mahrouqi
on Oman’s status as a budding destination
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill, pictured with one of the attraction’s Komodo dragons / ALL PHOTOS: RON MAGILL
Zoo Miami is in Ron Magill’s blood. As he celebrates his 37th year at the Florida attraction, he’s also celebrating the opening of the long-awaited Mission Everglades exhibit, which focuses on the wildlife and habitats of the zoo’s own doorstep.
Built with an investment of $33m (€31m, £26m), the 4.5-acre (1.8-hectare) expansion features 60 different species native to the region, including alligators, crocodiles, black bears, the Florida panther and a variety of birdlife. The aim is to give visitors an understanding of the importance of the Everglades and demonstrate that local wildlife is under just as much pressure from loss of habitat as species further afield.
“Florida: Mission Everglades is the culmination of many years of understanding the need to have an exhibit that showcases some of the amazing wildlife that occurs right in our own backyard,” says Magill, director of communications at the zoo. “It’s a condensed trip through this natural treasure, providing some amazing up-close and interactive experiences that would be extremely rare or impossible in the wild.”
Entering Florida: Mission Everglades, visitors first experience the aviary and the lake, where they see a variety of indigenous birds such as blue jays, red-bellied wood peckers, pelicans, ibis and herons. Next visitors can enjoy the river otter exhibit and the crocodile exhibit, both of which feature underwater transparent viewing tunnels, before going on to meet land mammals like the black bear and the endangered Florida panther – with live demonstrations between zookeepers and animals – and a variety of native reptiles and amphibians.
Lastly, visitors enter the boardwalk where they can take a rope bridge across the alligator’s watery den, learn the story of the zoo’s rehabilitated bald eagles and climb the treehouse to spot the bobcat, racoon and grey fox. All this is complemented by the cypress-themed adventure playground and cafeteria and a new boat ride, the Lostman’s River Ride.
Threatened ecosystem “The aim is not to satisfy one’s curiosity about the Florida Everglades, but rather to ignite a passion for it that will inspire the visitor to want to learn more and go out and experience the real Everglades for themselves,” says Magill, who started his career at the facility as a zookeeper in 1979. “The message is that all of these natural treasures are directly connected to us in providing not only beautiful wild areas for us to enjoy and visit but also being our main source of fresh drinking water and that to compromise any of these elements can threaten the entire ecosystem which could have catastrophic effects on our quality of life.”
Due to its many innovations and several “firsts” for the zoo, the project posed a fair number of challenges. Some elements had to be dropped in order to stay on budget, and the project was delayed several times due to the demands of the complex engineering and building needed.
“The Life Systems Support elements alone were the largest ever done at the zoo and required a tremendous amount of planning and development,” says Magill.
Magill, who founded the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment to support conservation of the wild counterparts of the zoo’s exhibits, says Mission Everglades has received an overwhelmingly positive response in its first couple of months, the only complaints being that the Florida panther and bald eagle are fairly timid and difficult to see and that the boat ride, which costs $5 per guest, has had mixed reviews.
“With the panther and bald eagle, it’s take time for them to become more comfortable. With the boat ride, we are currently exploring enhancing the ride as well as alternative pricing options.”
With this project, Zoo Miami is investing in its own surroundings to help preserve the Everglades long into the future.
Magill says: “We believe that most visitors will come to the natural conclusion that the Everglades is too beautiful and important to lose and will remember the impact that their visit made on them when it comes to making decisions in the future regarding the protection and wellbeing of this precious environment.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2017 issue 1
People profile: Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell, father of the video game industry, on his new VR business and the future of technology
People profile: Ron Magill
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill gives the lowdown on the attraction’s new Florida: Mission Everglades zone
People profile: Kim Gladstone Herlev
Denmark’s Experimentarium has reopened after a major renovation. CEO Kim Gladstone Herlev shares his vision for the future
People profile: Jimmy Fallon
Hold on tight! US TV star Jimmy Fallon is the subject of a brand new ride at Universal Orlando
Interview: Matthias Li
Matthias Li, chief executive at Hong Kong’s
Ocean Park, on his response to a changing
visitor profile and rising competition
Pipeline: Opening Doors
There’s an array of attractions set to launch.
We anticipate the hot debuts of the year
Tourism: A Plan for Oman
The Ministry of Tourism’s Maitha Al Mahrouqi
on Oman’s status as a budding destination
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
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