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By GRADY PHELES Ever dream of a pit swarm ing with 300 squirming, cranky cotton-mouthed moccasins or rat ters — other than in a night mare, that is? Charles (Tex) Hollon of 3622 Lamont has. What's more, he plans to have at least that num ber all his own by June 1, Hollon, whose snake stories will probably rival any hobby ist's for goosebumping chills, can hardly wait until hot weath er arrives so he can launch his fake hunts. And if you’ve got any stray rattiers around, he'll pay you TS cents ,a pound for ail you can haul in, live and rattling that is ! “The meaner, the better,” hel ays. Just Getting Started -Hollen, a local appliance sales mman, expects to fally get start ed in the snake business April 3 When he'll open his reptile farm! In the 1400. block of Lexington Bowevard.on a full ¢ time basis. With only seven rattlers, a couple of moccasins ‘and a cop-! rheadan Hand now, Hold On| and his snakehandling cohort, George Dismukes, will start can vassing South Texas as soon as}! the deadly crawlers come out|| of winter hibération to greet |! the wann ‘weather. = The eventual obi ectection is to and sell the venom. According to Hollon, it can be a lucrative business. When crystalized, the venom sets for $209 an ounce. Its used primarily for pharma ceutical purposes. Plenty Around Here :This area is probably the most rattler-infested of any in the country,’’ Hollon insists. Dis mukes, who became a veteran While catching over 30 poisonous reptiles a day working on a snake farm in the Louisiana swamplands, is quick to agree, “We'll have one snake _ pit filled with poisonous serpents, i There'll be another pit, contain iing a tree, in which I hope to ‘have anacondas, how constrictors land other non-poisonous varie ities.”” “There will be a 35-cent-a-per son admission charge to view the snakes and other Texas wild life we'll have on display. We don't plan to make any money out of the attraction, just enough to pay the feed bill. Nobody ever made any real money out of zoos ‘and it's ridiculous to think 0 ° ‘this being anything than just ¢ hobby. * has been sipped by poisonous fangs just once, Other Animals, Too In addition to the sakes. Half Many To Get In Free Boy Scouts and similiar groups, will be alowed in admission free.. “You'd be surprised at the kids who have never seen some of the state's. Native wildlife, including the Snakes.” Holton claims, 7 The snake pits wiL be sin’ feet deep, 10 feet wide and 201, feet long. They'll be towered at t he top “with Welled wire. Not to weep the snakes in, but to keep!’ people out,” Hollon explained. “There's an art in handling; rattlers and moccasins and other animals as well. Number onte, you can't be afraid of them. Has Hollon ‘ever been on ‘Not yet, and Ive been stoolin’ around with snakes and wildlife! 1.5 augue was wappers ‘ever since IT was a kid in Rio] Hollow’s hobby is a dangerous 1 Hondo. Course, you're soagylone. The poisonous snakes have gotta be on your tes and can'tt be caught by hand and is Set careless.” Hig pal, Dismukes,doctored about twice a week or t hen expects to have a “good rep resentation of smaller animals. the menagerie will include owl, accoons, skunks, opassants, bob sats, armadillos, alligators, rab sits, javelinas,squirrels and | monkeys | Most of the animals Hollon has! ‘at the present time have been given to him. One of his prize specimens, a four-foot rattler, was caught last week by a city ‘park construction sanz while clearing South Guth Park. As coyote joined the clan when he were panmht hue a seaman they'll die from their own ven iom. “Sometimes they kill each a et when they become so excited and mad that they‘ll strike any thing,” Hollon said. One Rattler Died “I lost my largest rattler, one, just short of seven feet, when he struck the glass, in his cage so much he became infected. He Was just teased to death,” ’ Do the neighbors in Lexington object to the idea of a couple of spits full of snakes plus, a herd of assorted animals? ‘Not on your life.” Hollon answers with a laugh, ‘There’s so many snakes, and chicken-eating critters run ru nning loose that they just hope; I attract all of em. And if it's left up to Big Tex, wit é enough time, he probably will, TEX HOLLON AND FRIEND «ys he’s helding a water moccasin
Newspaper Details
Corpus Christi Caller Times
Corpus Christi, Texas, US
Sun, Mar 06, 1960
Page 33
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