William Grahling

William is from Newton, Massachusetts. He has worked at the zoo for all four years of his Millbrook experience, working his way up to head curator in his VIth form year. Here are William’s insights about working at the zoo:

"Last year, when the new dart frogs came, I got to put the moss in their enclosure; I got to set it up, I got to arrange everything, and that was really special for me because I like frogs. I think they're very underrated. And they're also very endangered. The last time I fully arranged a small animal's habitat was at an animal shelter for hamsters and guinea pigs when I was in middle school. But this time I got to do it with an animal that's more advanced, and that was really fun for me to do."

"I went into volunteering at the zoo already knowing quite a bit about animals, but I still have learned a lot there about their behavior, and even about animals we don't have. For example, I've gotten to learn about the beaver that we had in the zoo pond last year who was a wild beaver.

"The most important thing I've learned is to just be cautious with the animals and that you can't treat them like they're not there. You can't get distracted and talk with your friends while you're working with an animal that's going to be very timid and could be frightened if you speak a little too loudly."

"Respect the natural world and learn to care for or handle animals that you may not like. Even if it's handling bugs—you may be not comfortable with that, but you have to be able to do it. You don't have to like it, but you have to get through it. There are obviously going to be parts of this that people aren't going to like, but the job still has to get done. So, it might as well be you. Make sure you're doing everything in a thorough manner, doing it to completion."