September 5, 1987 — He’s part Marlon Perkins, part Doctor Dolittle and completely taken by anything that swims, slithers, flutters or struts. Jim Martin and wife Betty, proprietors of Luray Reptile Center on U.S. 211, are foster parents to a couple hundred head of livestock. Very unusual livestock. So how did Martin accumulate a collection of pets that includes every poisonous snake in Virginia, the only poisonous lizard in the United Sates, 15 American alligators and a 25-foot, 250-pound Burmese python?
“A genetic defect,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve always been interested in reptiles.” The Washington, D.C. native said his earliest memories were of the National Zoo. “While I liked the whole zoo, I particularly enjoyed the reptile house.”
Martin, who holds a degree in business administration, decided to combine business with pleasure 31 years ago. He established reptile reviews at Ocean View Park in Norfolk and Seaside Park in Virginia Beach but was forced to move each time when the property was sold. Five years ago, he abandoned Tidewater for the Page Valley.
~ From the public archives of the Page News and Courier
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