Friday, August 15, 2008

St. Louis Zoo

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A young R. Marlin Perkins pushing the food in, Jake Schoenberger (the Jake part's right), to become Gen. Curator Moody Lentz, and holding the snake is Virgil Turner. Two large pythons were purchased for a trial reptile exhibit about 1925. One python wouldn't feed voluntarily so it was force-fed weekly. The snake actually did well and the feeding turned into quite a popular attraction for several years. In the summer the feeding would take place on the lawn in front of the reptile house drawing thousands of spectators. When the python passed on another snake was purchased who by coincidence also wouldn't eat. Unfortunately it wasn't as adaptable to force-feeding.

Wade G. Burck said...

Jim,
Great stuff. I didn't realize that was a young R. Marlin or Moody Lentz. Hows the Schoenberger part wrong?
Some would suggest that R. Marlin and staff did not have proper particulars, otherwise they could have trained another one not to eat and force feed. LOL
Thanks for the info.
Wade