Holding "Deadly" Mantis at Franklin Park Zoo

Greg Stimpson, Lead Keeper - A Bird's World at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, MA, hands Miss Dolittle a Dead Leaf Mantis to hold.

Greg Stimpson, a nice man who is the Lead Zoo Keeper at New England Zoo, caught my attention while trying to coax a bird to hop on his hand in A Bird's World at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, MA. One of the Green Aracaris (looks like a tiny tucan) had escaped and was now eating out of another bird's food tray (see the video on this page). Not at all afraid of me, the bird, Cosmo, fluttered up to a branch right next to me! Greg tempted the escapee with some pear bits. Once the bird was on his hand, he walked into Cosmo's enclosure where immediately another bird, Molly, fluttered over to get some treats.

What does this have to do with the "Deadly" Mantis? I revealed my love for bugs (spiders, too) to Greg. After returning Cosmo to his enclosure, he was kind enough to show me a magnificent mantis. Taking it out of its terrarium, he offered for me to hold it. He gave me a bit of a startle when he told me it was called a Deadly Mantis. I misheard. He actually said Dead Leaf Mantis due to its camouflage —brown and flat-ish, it looks just like what it's named after, a dead leaf.

Greg has been a zookeeper for 13 years –that's my entire life! I asked Greg why he had decided to work in this field, and his response was actually quite amusing. He told me that when he was in fourth grade, Greg and the rest of his class were instructed to write a paper about what they were aspiring to become when they grew up. This actually inspired Greg to pursue that career avidly in the years that were to come. I feel very fortunate that I got the opportunity to have a chat with this remarkable zookeeper. Three cheers for Greg!