Zoo Founder Receives MBE for Conservation

The former director of Newquay Zoo has been awarded an MBE for services to wildlife conservation. Stewart Muir MBE received the prestigious recognition in the King’s Birthday Honour’s List.

The 70-year-old has become renowned as a prominent conservationist, zoo director, UK government advisor, and wildlife artist throughout his career.

The citation stated he has made a “sustained contribution” to wildlife conservation, professional development, and community service, including shaping Defra's approach to safe wildlife trade, establishing facilities for seized animals to prevent euthanasia, and leading repatriations of illegally traded birds.

Mr Muir is most notably recognised as the founder of the Shaldon Wildlife Trust in 1983 and for his extensive work protecting critically endangered small carnivores and smaller primates.

He transformed the wildlife trust from a petting collection into a conservation centre that is now the smallest member of European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Despite its small size the Shaldon Wildlife Trust has actively participated in many breeding programmes for endangered species and supported their conservation and protection overseas. This has included many critically endangered Madagascan lemur species, Golden Lion Tamarins and Yellow Breasted Capuchin monkeys from Brazil and Owston’s civet from Vietnam.

Mr Muir, as director of Newquay Zoo between 2002 and 2017, oversaw its transition into the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, managed its staff, and produced a new masterplan that reshaped its identity into an education and conservation charity.

The MBE award citation noted that Mr Muir “consistently” embedded inclusion into conservation practice by creating placements for young people, individuals with special educational needs, and vulnerable groups. He was also at the forefront of encouraging community volunteering in zoos.

He chaired the EAZA Small Carnivore Taxon Advisory Group for 12 years. During this time, he helped establish the Owston's Civet Conservation Programme, which expanded into Save Vietnam Wildlife, the largest wildlife NGO in Vietnam, for which he is a founding board member. He is particularly proud of the role Save Vietnams Wildlife has played in the protection of pangolins, encouraging and advising on their care when confiscated from illegal trade. Pangolins are the worlds most heavily traded mammal. To date Save Vietnams Wildlife has rescued and released over one thousand back to the wild and was one of the first organisations to raise awareness of the plight of these unique creatures. Stewart personally regards this as one of his greatest achievements

Mr Muir received the lifetime achievement award from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA in 2024, which is the highest accolade within the European zoo community.

Alongside his fieldwork, Mr Muir is an accomplished wildlife illustrator.

He personally painted many of the detailed animal identification signs used to educate the public at Newquay Zoo, notably for the ‘Gems of the Jungle’ walk-through aviary.

Mr Muir said: "I am of course immensely proud and slightly overwhelmed to receive this honour. I am very fortunate to have spent my life doing something I love and working with so many wonderful animals and so many dedicated people."