Editor’s note: We love interviewing alumni and hearing the great stories you tell us, so we’ve expanded our Five Questions to a longer format. If you have stories for us, or class notes for the Bulletin, please submit them here.
“Other-worldy”–that’s how Ali Mulford ’06 describes New Zealand, her home of three years. Since her Williston days, Ali has traveled the world working with wildlife, and now works at the Wellington Zoo. In our interview series, Ali talks about what it’s like to wrestle boa constrictors with skin problems, nap with baboons, and play peekaboo with macaws.
What is your current position and what are your responsibilities?
I am the Visitor Experience Coordinator for Wellington Zoo. My day-to-day includes coordinating programmes like events and sleepovers, conditioning animals that will be a part of our contact programme, and designing and delivering new talks and other visitor products. The role is a really great one for me because I love working with both people and animals. I love being able to connect people to wildlife conservation and encourage them to make small changes in their lives that can make a big difference.
How did you end up in New Zealand?
My partner Glen and I met when I was working for a wildlife NGO in Guatemala. Glen is a Kiwi and when we realized we couldn’t live in the jungle forever, we thought we’d visit Glen’s hometown of Wellington. I originally thought I’d be in NZ for three months. . .that was three years ago and now I’ve just gotten residency!
What is New Zealand like?
I tried not to fall in love with New Zealand because it is so far from my family in the U.S. but I really enjoy living here! It has an other-worldly feel about it. Sometimes walking in the forest, I feel like I’m in a Dr. Suess book. New Zealand has gorgeous landscapes, cool culture, and friendly, genuine people. I’m trying to convince everyone I know to move over here!
I saw that you met Jane Goodall recently. What was that like?
As someone who studied Primatology and went on to work in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation, Jane Goodall is my idol! She is such an inspiring person. I heard her speak at Harvard once before, and it really made me feel empowered. She taught me that every day we make an impact on the world and the people around us and it is up to us whether it is a positive or negative one. I am so grateful that she stopped by Wellington Zoo on her travels. I was so star-struck that my boss had to drag me over to meet her! I was doing everything in my power not to cry and, being the primate nerd that I am, I blurted out “Hi, how are you, you are my hero.” So embarrassing! Jane was lovely, funny, and gracious–everything I hoped she would be.
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you when dealing with the animals?
Lots of poo-related stories immediately spring to mind, but I won’t go there! Some of the funniest animal personalities I have encountered were Chacma baboon orphans I worked with in South Africa. Some days it felt like I was working in a preschool: there were cheeky ones, and shy ones, and silly ones. One of the baboons I reared liked to sleep on my face at night instead of on my side like the others. I’d end up with scratch marks across my nose from her fingernails and a baboon imprint on my cheek each morning! It is so rewarding seeing an animal back out into the wild because of your efforts.
Another surreal moment was when I was working in Guatemala. Three massive boa constrictors were brought in. They had skin problems that had to be treated before they could be released and so I would bathe them in plastic tubs of water. I remember one day, sitting on the floor of their enclosure by myself while they soaked, having wrestled them into their tubs by myself with nothing more than a tool that looks like a golf putter. It still makes me laugh thinking of myself sat there watching these snakes double my size staring at me from their tubs. I remember thinking “my life is really strange and wonderful!”
Watching the first baby macaws I ever reared bob up and down from their incubator as if playing peekaboo still makes me laugh as well. I have too many stories to tell really. When you work with animals, it is tiring and hard work, but everyday I smile and everyday is an adventure.
What is the most interesting animal you have worked with?
Primates will always be number one for me. I’ve hand reared and rehabilitated Chacma baboons in South Africa, howler monkeys and spider monkeys in Guatemala, and given talks and presentations about the chimps and monkeys at Wellington Zoo. Another really interesting creature I’m falling in love with is a sheltopusik (a type of legless lizard that looks a bit like a snake). I have been conditioning one to be a part of our contact program at Wellington Zoo.
What do you do in your free time in New Zealand?
Right now it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere so when I’m not hibernating I’m doing mostly indoor things: going to shows, galleries, new restaurants, and trying out community classes (I’m trying out circus classes next week). I’m also a big fan of Wellington’s film festival and comedy festival! In the warmer months I love hiking; I’ve done some of New Zealand’s great walks and would like to do more. I love being out in nature and New Zealand is stunning!
How did your Williston experience help prepare you for college and your career?
When I got to Boston University, it didn’t feel nearly as much of a transition as it did for other students. I was prepared to study hard and knew how to budget my time. I also knew how to live with other people and found myself being a support system in my dorm for many other freshmen who didn’t know how to live away from home.
Who was your favorite teacher at Williston and why?
So many people have popped into my head! Many of my teachers were so important to me because they taught me both in and out of the classroom: coaches, dorm parents, advisors, etc. I had a lot of honorary moms and dads! There was always someone when I needed them. Mr. Luikart is one of those teachers that immediately springs to mind. Mr. Luikart has such a love for the natural world and really encouraged and supported me during my Williston days. He probably didn’t know it at the time, but he, along with many other teachers, was a catalyst that helped turn me into the person I am today. When I was a Williston student I would have never thought of going near a spider and now I handle tarantulas for visitors. I’d like to think Mr. Luikart would be proud of that. Actually, there have been a lot of proud moments in my life when I think of Williston and I feel like I owe a lot of my success to them.
What is your favorite memory from Williston?
I was involved with a lot of extra-curricular activities that I really loved: Being a proctor of my dorm, participating in Peer Ed, and playing on sports teams! I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people, both students and faculty, and those relationships are the most memorable part of my Williston experience!