I will have to ask around and see if any of the regional wildlife photographers have the same experience.
I wouldn't be surprised if AM gets named whatever Nikon calls their equivalent of "Explorers of Light", and gets set up with ultra-high-level repair with loaners / maintenance / lens and body beta tester / etc support.
I will bet anything that AM lost out on the top pro level of service at Canon when they stopped providing support for exhibits, and that he now has to get in line with non-elite pros. If he is giving lots of workshops, he would miss the red carpet first-in-line treatment for repairs that he likely got from Canon when he was their official EoL.