Making a difference: Murray Munro

Muzz&PasaMurray Munro is an ambassador for the voiceless species of our planet. He is a passionate conservationist with a strong sense of social justice, a global adventurer of the earth’s wild places. Murray Munro is a man on a mission. The founder of an unconventional conservation organisation, Earth Warrior, he is a one-man rapid response team ready at a moment’s notice to rescue wildlife in danger or distress anywhere in the world. A man with a clearly defined sense of purpose, Munro sums up his commitment to the animal kingdom, “I have a voice and I can make a difference.”

His dream is for Earth Warrior to be represented by a child from each nation on the globe, all focused on working together in love and peace to promote conservation, sustainability and the environment. “It would send a message of inspiration and hope to everyone on the planet.”

Many people have lost touch with nature,” he continues. “We have to get back on track. It’s an amazing world; be thankful and have respect for the animal kingdom. Getting in touch with nature is valuable for the planet and for us, as a species.”

As a boy he was passionate about animals and knew his life would revolve around wildlife but it wasn’t until he was much older, while sitting with mountain gorillas in the jungles of Uganda, that he realised his destiny – to make a difference. “With only 300 left in the wild, mountain gorillas are one of the most endangered species in the world.” He says the moment was sobering and poignant. “I wanted the next generation to have the chance to experience what I was experiencing.”

Munro’s idealism is backed with the pragmatic skills to make his dream a reality. Having travelled extensively around the world, he has developed the ability to adapt and interact easily with people from different cultures, traditions and environments. With a background in zoo-keeping, marketing and fund-raising, and as a former appeals manager for Wildlife Warriors at Australia Zoo, Munro is a well-qualified spokesman for the endangered, the orphaned, the lost and the voiceless members of the animal kingdom.

His current project, Save Bona, is focused on saving the life of an orphaned baby elephant in Sumatra. When former Australia Zoo colleagues, Amanda French and Bruce Levick, first brought the plight of the sickly, malnourished orphan to his attention, Munro saw an animal in obvious need. “I was given an opportunity to make a difference.” It was a chance to walk the talk. The three friends pledged to save Bona, and the campaign was launched in April 2012. To date they have raised over $20,000. Bona has gained 150kg in weight and is now a mischievous, playful two year old. She lives at the Elephant Conservation Centre in Sumatra and, when older, will be trained as a conservation patrol elephant.

Team Bona – Munro, French and Levick – undoubtedly saved Bona’s life. Their compassion is heart-warming but their dedication is astounding. They have committed the next three years of their lives to ensuring Bona receives the proper care and nutrition a growing elephant needs. Not only must they raise $2000 per month to cover Bona’s food costs but they will also ensure that at least one of them is with Bona in Sumatra at all times during the next three years.

Munro sees Bona as an ambassador for her species. “Keeping Bona’s plight in the spotlight focuses attention on elephants worldwide.” In developing countries, elephants are often regarded as pests, competing with humans for land and resources. In Sumatra, conflict arises when elephants forage on palm oil plantations, destroying trees and crops and threatening a farmer’s livelihood. Bona’s mother, and other family members, were poisoned by farmers protecting their interests. When survival is at stake, conservation becomes an unrealistic ideal. Munro is set on changing this mind-set by “promoting the idea that conservation can equate to profits for the local community.” This shared vision of wildlife preservation and economic development is not a new concept and has been successfully implemented in many developing countries – from safari tours to new product manufacture through to ecotourism.

The Sumatran jungle is wild and beautiful and, in Munro’s opinion, perfect for an ecotourism venture. “Encouraging the local community to explore other avenues of living that embodies conservation – and realising the potential income from conservation tourism -not only leads to protection of the environment but also to the offending species because that animal is suddenly recognised as valuable.”

Munro and his colleagues have written a children’s booklet about elephants. Giving talks at village schools, spreading the message of conservation to the next generation, is an important part of the Save Bona project. Engaging children is also a core element of the Earth Warrior organisation. How to get the message across? “Make conservation fun,” he says. Indonesian village children have shown overwhelming interest and curiosity in Team Bona. And with the intense media coverage the team has received both nationally and internationally, it seems they are getting the message across.

As an Earth Warrior, Munro is passionate about all wildlife but has a soft spot for chimpanzees, orangutans, tigers, elephants, and marine turtles. His role models include Nelson Mandela and renowned conservationists David Attenborough, Steve Irwin, and ‘Leakey’s angels’ (primatologists Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas). He admires Attenborough’s unobtrusive observations of the natural world, the late Irwin’s infectious enthusiasm, and the adventurous spirit and courage of ‘Leakey’s angels’ – the dedicated women who braved an isolated jungle existence to study and research primates.

Munro has worked on various conservation projects around the world and has extensive dealings with injured, oppressed and orphaned creatures yet, even after so many years, seeing an animal in distress easily moves him to tears. “If you feel,” he says, “It becomes more important that you try to make a difference. The world is ready for someone new in conservation. Someone like Attenborough or Irwin, who can engage people and can make an impact.” Munro believes he is that person. So do his followers. There is no doubt this man’s passion and determination will ensure his is a voice to be heard.

 

For more information, to volunteer, or to donate to the Save Bona campaign: www.savebona.com

OLIVIA POZZAN

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