Local 10’s Eco Hero team left the red sands of the Outback behind and entered one of the world’s oldest living ecosystems — the Daintree Rainforest — uncovering a landscape teeming with rare wildlife, ancient plants, and Indigenous culture.

Local 10’s Eco Hero team is continuing their adventures Down Under. Kristi Krueger, Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill and Local 10’s 2025 Eco Hero, 18-year-old Brielle Martinez, spent some time in the Australian Outback.

This year’s Eco Hero winner, a recent high school graduate, boarded her 21-hour flight to Australia on Saturday and landed in Melbourne to start her life-changing two-week adventure.

This year’s Eco Hero winner, a recent high school graduate, is flying from Miami to Melbourne, Australia on Saturday.

Zoo Miami has a new arrival with a bright future.

Zoo Miami is celebrating Mother’s Day weekend with the arrival of several rare bird hatchlings from around the world.

Gorillas continue to be at high risk of extinction in the wild in Africa due to threats that include poachers.

Three North American river otter pups at Zoo Miami are growing quickly and thriving under the care of their mother, Zinnia, according to Ron Magill, the zoo’s communications director.

Koda, a 13-year-old male cheetah at Zoo Miami, recently underwent a comprehensive wellness exam as part of the zoo’s preventative health program, zoo officials confirmed Wednesday.

Zoo Miami has announced the passing of Kara, its “Grand Dame” of giant river otters, who they said was euthanized on Jan.14 after suffering from multiple geriatric health issues.

Zoo Miami announced with heavy hearts the loss of Coedie, an 11-year-old male koala, who was humanely euthanized on Tuesday following a rapid decline in health, according to Ron Magill, the zoo’s communications director.

A 17-year-old lion at Zoo Miami was temporarily immobilized Tuesday and taken to an animal hospital for a thorough health checkup, Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed.

For the past week, a herd of elephants has taken over the sands of Mid Beach.

Zoo Miami officials announced the death of a female koala Monday.

North Miami Beach was among the cities distributing sandbags Sunday to help residents in flood-prone areas prepare for the risk of storms as a hurricane remained on Florida’s forecast.

Zoo Miami’s beloved 12-year-old ambassador cheetah, Diesel, was euthanized last week following a rapid decline in his health, Ron Magill, the zoo’s communication director confirmed Monday.

Zoo Miami is celebrating the birth of an endangered Malayan tapir, marking the first successful birth of the species at the zoo in 18 years, Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed Tuesday.

For the first time, Zoo Miami has successfully hatched threatened Texas horned lizards as part of a conservation effort to boost their wild populations, Communications Director Ron Magill announced in a press release Tuesday.

A Zoo Miami cheetah is recovering after undergoing surgery for a leg fracture, zoo spokesman Ron Magill confirmed Wednesday in a news release.

Zoo Miami is mourning the death of Diego, one of the zoo’s beloved meerkats.

An endangered Matchie’s tree kangaroo joey from Papua New Guinea has started peeking out of its mother’s pouch at Zoo Miami.

The Pembroke Pines owners of two curious puppies are thankful their dogs are now thriving after taking bites to the face, by a cottonmouth water moccasin.

A Caribbean flamingo hatched at Zoo Miami nearly two weeks ago, Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed in a press release on Wednesday.

An 11-year-old sloth bear received a physical examination at Zoo Miami, zoo officials confirmed Friday.

Millions of spectators along a narrow corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada witnessed Monday’s total eclipse, and those in South Florida saw a partial eclipse.

A significant milestone was reached at Zoo Miami on March 28 as the Avian Propagation Center welcomed its first-ever hatched crested coua, zoo officials announced in a news release Wednesday.

Zoo Miami announced the death of a juvenile giraffe on Monday.

Zoo Miami is celebrating the newest addition of two adorable sloth bear cubs who were born to 4-year-old Kematee last month.

Zoo Miami announced the birth of one of the world’s rarest wild pigs on Tuesday.

As 2023 comes to a close, Local 10 News is taking a look back at the top five stories in our ongoing “Don’t Trash Our Treasure” initiative from this year.

The controversial proposal to build a water park on Zoo Miami property has been pulled.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, host Glenna Milberg welcomes Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, former Miami city manager Emilio Gonzalez, Zoo Miami communications director Ron Magill and developer Paul Lambert.

In South Florida, the fight over how much to build and where is an entrenched chronic question. The details of the latest fight involves land at Zoo Miami.

Zoo Miami’s Goodwill Ambassador Ron Magill, a world-renowned animal expert and winning wildlife photographer, has written a new book that is already a top seller on Amazon.

A tiger seen by millions of visitors at Zoo Miami has been euthanized.

For the past several days, Zoo Miami’s adult male Sumatran tiger, “Berani,” has been sluggish with a loss of appetite which has raised concern in the Animal Science and Animal Health teams at the zoo, Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill announced in a news release Thursday.

Zoo Miami welcomed an adorable new addition to its team.

Zoo Miami announced on Thursday that a 7-year-old red fox named Swift died of a cardiac arrest.

Miami-Dade commissioners chose to defer a vote again on a lease extension for the Miami Wilds water park to be built next to Zoo Miami following public outcry.

A controversial decision is looming at Zoo Miami as commissioners are set to vote later this week on whether to extend the lease agreement for the park Miami Wilds.

Zoo Miami’s “Turtle,” an 8-month-old male giraffe weighing more than 500 pounds and standing close to 10 feet tall, was recovering from surgery, wildlife expert Ron Magill announced on Thursday.

A critically endangered Addra gazelle was born Wednesday on its exhibit habitat at Zoo Miami. It became the 79th Addra gazelle born in the zoo’s history, Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill confirmed in a press release.

A cheetah cub joined Zoo Miami’s ambassador team nearly two months ago, Ron Magill confirmed in a Zoo Miami press release on Friday.

Zoo Miami’s last black-necked stork, a near-threatened species, died, Ron Magill announced on Friday afternoon adding the “elegant bird” was over 50 years old.

Longtime boater and sea tow captain Sergio Frágüela captured some disturbing images on the water off the Peanut Island sand bar on Sunday.

A bear is spotted in a neighborhood in Homestead and police are saying to take caution until it is located.

Zoo Miami Animal Health team members successfully released a juvenile Green Sea Turtle back to the wild from Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne Wednesday morning, Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill confirmed.

Zoo Miami welcomed three otter pups to the world on Tuesday.

When a plastic bottle fell into the area where two endangered crocodiles, Leroy and Princess, live at ZooMiami, the fear of a potentially deadly digestive obstruction prompted veterinarians to act quickly.

Residents in Miami Springs are concerned about a recent, unusual series of flamingo sightings that they believe may be coming from nearby Hialeah Park, where a flock of the majestic pink birds has lived since the ‘30s.

One of the avian stars of Zoo Miami’s Eagle Cam remained in critical condition Thursday following surgery to repair a severely fractured right wing.

Zoo Miami visited Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 43 on Saturday in honor of their outstanding service.

Staff at Zoo Miami euthanized an “iconic” 56-year-old Asian elephant Thursday afternoon following a series of health problems, officials said.

Zoo Miami will temporarily close this week as Hurricane Ian approaches Florida.

If you know a South Florida middle school student with a passion for our planet, we've got good news for you. Our Local 10 News Eco-Hero contest is back!

On Tuesday morning, Zoo Miami’s newborn giraffe made her exhibit debut where she cautiously explored her new surroundings.

Zoo Miami welcomed a new giraffe into the herd Tuesday. Sabra, a nearly 12-year-old giraffe, gave birth to a baby girl at around 6:30 p.m., according to Zoo Miami spokesperson Ron Magill.

Veterinarians at Zoo Miami took a close look inside one of the park’s endangered clouded leopards as they tried to get to the bottom of ongoing vomiting issues.

Miami-Dade Commissioners gave the go-ahead for development at the old Calusa golf course, but the county mayor has vowed to help protect the area's beloved birds.

Zoo Miami will be closed Friday and Saturday after a Tropical Storm Warning was issued for all of South Florida.

A young boy from Iowa who survived brain cancer had his wish come true and spent the day exploring Zoo Miami's reptiles with Ron Magill.

The bald eagles have become internet stars, with a live streaming camera allowing people watch their journey over the past five months.

Sunday morning the second tiny eagle entered the world after the first baby hatched Saturday night.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office released bodycam footage of the Malayan tiger attack of a man who put his arm into a cage after hours at the Naples Zoo.

Kathryn Treacy thought she was spending her Friday volunteering at ZooMiami.

A local pest management company told Local 10 News they received a call from a property management association hiring them to kill what they were told were “invasive geese.”

A bald-eagle couple, stars of Zoo Miami's Eagle Cam, reveal an egg on the night before Thanksgiving.

Opposition to plans to redevelop a golf course in Miami-Dade County prompted neighbors to start the Save Calusa campaign. They rented a bus to attend a zoning meeting on Wednesday in downtown Miami and witnessed commissioners vote 10-2 against their cause.

After Zoo Miami’s 385-pound gorilla named Barney developed a lingering cough, veterinarians and animal medical specialists from across Miami-Dade County teamed up to perform additional exams on the great ape.

Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill is excited. He said one of the few eagle nest cams in the world is in Miami-Dade County.

Daria Feinstein said she is worried about the “magnificent” macaws in her southeast Miami-Dade County neighborhood. She said it’s nesting season and poachers are out like crazy.

On Monday, May 17, 12-year-old Binti the Red River Hog successfully gave birth to three healthy piglets at Zoo Miami. The mama of three, two males and one female, is an experienced mother, with several litters under her belt.

Monday, April 26, is International Flamingo Day, and if there’s anything more quintessentially South Florida (besides coconut trees and sunshine) it’s the American Flamingo. However, what most people don’t know is that the American flamingo hasn’t always been classified as a native species of Florida.

Spring is in the air and the baby boom continues at Zoo Miami! Over the past few days, two baby giraffes, one male, and one female were born nearly back-to-back at the zoo.

DAVIE, Fla. – Wildlife expert Ron Magill wants the public to stay alert for the noise that will be coming from the 157 exotic birds that a burglar recently stole from a store in Broward County. A burglar, who recently cut a hole in the roof of the Birdhouse pet store in Davie stole 70 sun conures and 60 green-cheeked conures valued at $65,000. AdThere was also a female Eclectus, which is an attention-seeker that can produce 115 decibels of noise — louder than a Jet take-off. The thief also stole five quaker parrots with contact calls as loud as 113 decibels. These mellow birds’ contact calls get as high as 80 decibels, which is as noisy as a garbage disposal or a dishwasher.

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – The new Conservation Action Center at Zoo Miami opens to the public on Saturday, Jan. 16, but Local 10 was able to get a sneak peek at the hands-on experience. Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill said the idea of the center is to introduce one of the “major pillars of the zoo and that’s conservation, but in a fun way.”There’s plenty to see and do, all with the goal of making it an interactive experience with games like Habitat Whack a Mole and Mating Game. There’s also “What’s the Poop?” where visitors can race to see how fast you can scoop the “poop” into compost bins. So, you can come in here and play a variety of games — Interactive games — to try to get involved and understand why it’s so important and what we do every day to conserve wildlife,” Magill said. The first 500 visitors into the center on Saturday and Sunday will receive a free gift, according to the Zoo.

Pogo, a giraffe born at the Denver Zoo, had lived at ZooMiami since 2009 before he was euthanized on Monday in Miami-Dade. MIAMI – Veterinarians euthanized Pongo, a ZooMiami giraffe, on Monday morning after he was suffering from increasing pain, ZooMiami announced on Monday afternoon. Pongo arrived at ZooMiami in 2009 after he was born at the Denver Zoo and nursed with his mother Masika, a reticulated giraffe, also known as a Somali giraffe. At 16-feet tall, Pongo had grown into the tallest giraffe of the zoo’s herd and visitors were able to see him closely at the Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station. Pongo, the giraffe, lived at ZooMiami for more than a decade.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Two Florida International University students received a special surprise Thursday from Zoo Miami. “The Ron Magill Conservation Scholarship came as a product of the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment -- that’s an endowment I started here at the zoo to help protect animals in the wild,” Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill said. Magill passed out the $5,000 checks Thursday to the two students who participated in the first ever selection process. Both students are focusing on species of sea turtles and doing their field studies of hatchings. “I would love to use this money for (that) and also to support my research.”“I was trying to do a sea turtle project in Cuba.

MIAMI – An 11-year-old reticulated giraffe named Pongo from Zoo Miami underwent a series of successful procedures over the weekend. It took more than two dozen people, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, zookeepers and farriers, to immobilize the giraffe and perform the procedures. Full Screen 1 / 9 Photo courtesy: Ron Magill/Zoo MiamiAccording to a Zoo Miami news release, Pongo stands at more than 16 feet tall and weighs close to 2,000 pounds. Pongo has since made a full recovery from his anesthesia and has been reunited with the rest of the herd at Zoo Miami. It is expected to take several weeks for the fracture to heal, so Pongo will be closely monitored over the next few months.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Zoo Miami reopened to visitors Tuesday after being forced to re-close its doors on the Fourth of July. “We feel relieved and a bit elated,” Ron Magill, of Zoo Miami, said. But with the state now entering Phase 2 of its reopening, zoo officials decided to reopen most outdoor attractions, but not without changes. Zoo officials are also limiting the number of guests they let in each day. “As long as I think they’re taking precautions and safety, I think it’s a good thing,” Ophelia Gualtieri said.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. The sign at Zoo Miami reads Thanks for Visiting. And spokesman Ron Magill says they are ready for visitors to safely return. Theyve just been waiting on the green light from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. All I can tell you is that we at Zoo Miami are ready to open, Magill said Friday. Were just awaiting word from the mayors office.The Mayors office isnt yet ready to make a decision. The Zoo did open to one visitor Friday, 8-year-old Jaden Blanco, who is fighting a brain tumor.

MIAMI, Fla. With hundreds of people in and out of Zoo Miami daily, operators know the facility is not immune to the coronavirus outbreak. The 4 employees are now in quarantine and recovering away from Zoo Miami. There are close to 500 employees employed at Zoo Miami. Zoo Miami has very stringent safety measure that have been in place for employees since the start of the outbreak, according to Magill. Because the interactive programs person tested positive we are now closing all interactive programs from now on.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. - Thousands of hunters are signing up for permits in Florida ahead of the six-week alligator hunting season, which begins Thursday. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, more than 15,000 hunters have applied for permits, but only about 7,700 will actually get one. Alligator hunting is popular because of the thrill, the skin and the meat. Ron Magill, of Zoo Miami, wants hunters to be careful out there and remember to follow the rules. Florida's gator hunting season ends Nov. 1.

Zoo Miami welcomed a 7-year-old endangered elephant bull from Australia to its facilities this week. Zoo Miami goodwill ambassador and communications director Ron Magill said in an email that the male Asian elephant named Ongard arrived in Miami Tuesday on a chartered jet and received a police escort. PETA activists were quick to voice their disapproval Wednesday about bringing Ongard to Zoo Miami. Magill said Ongard, who was born Sept. 10, 2010, at the Melbourne Zoo, is the first elephant to ever leave Australia. Magill said Zoo Miami spent nearly a half-million dollars in new renovations to its Asian elephant exhibit in preparation for Ongard's arrival.