By Hannah Spence. | Photography by Ron Magill
After a five-year hiatus, Zoo Miami has brought back its signature Valentine’s Day event: Sex and the Animals.
“If everybody in the zoo is in front of one exhibit, and they’re all looking over each other’s shoulders and not looking at what’s happening in the exhibits, I will tell you what’s going on — animals are having sex,” said Zoo Miami Communications Director and Goodwill Ambassador Ron Magill.
Magill will host the adults-only event on February 14, where he will discuss not only how animals mate, but also the courtship that precedes it and reproductive diversity. He will also educate audience members with fun facts. For example, he explained that a rodent-like creature called the Shaw’s jird holds the record for the highest frequency of sexual activity, having been observed mating 224 times in just two hours.
“I tell people before we start showing the images, you’re going to see things that you have either done or thought about doing, but didn’t because you thought it was weird,” Magill said. “What they’re going to learn by looking at these images is that it’s not unnatural.”
When Magill presented the idea to the zoo’s board in the ’80s, it was shot down, with members citing a desire to avoid controversy. But the founding director eventually permitted him to do the program. It has since become the only presentation at the zoo that has sold out every time it has been held. Some attendees opt to see the demonstration multiple times, such as 70-year-old Martha Salazar, who first saw Sex and the Animals about 20 years ago. She enjoyed it so much that she had Magill present at her last birthday party.
“Ron has an amazing knack for speaking and drawing you in,” Salazar said. “The way he imitates animal sounds and so on … it’s incredibly entertaining.”
Sex and the Animals has also made waves in the academic world. Magill said that one year, a professor from the University of Miami School of Medicine attended the presentation. Since then, it has become part of the curriculum, with Magill presenting to medical students at UM during their “Sex Week.”
New material this year includes images Magill took in Patagonia of elephant seals he “never thought even possible.” Koalas and kangaroos will also be featured more prominently.
“The whole principle of this talk is to show that animals, even in their most intimate moments, are very much like us,” Magill said. “I don’t think anyone could watch this presentation and not truly believe that animals have feelings.”
If You Go:
Tickets must be purchased online and will not be available at the door.
$100 single / $175 couple
Main food sponsors: Wild Fork Meat, Apocalypse BBQ and Golden Rule Seafood.
An open bar will be available.
VIP Options:
Cocktail Table for Two: $1,000 per table / 2 guests (Open Bar Access)
Signature Dinner Pair: $2,500 per table / 2 guests (Open Bar Access + Three-Course Dinner Included)
Premier Dinner Table for Eight: $10,000 per table / 8 guests (Table Service + Drinks + Three-Course Dinner Included).
