Small world...

As a follow-up to our adventure at the Nature Center, showing off our animals, and fielding questions, we had one woman who came through and asked about the "tools" we use.  (We had a hook and a pair of tongs on the table, for show.)  She said she thought they were "invented around here" in her words.  I said there were "Pillstrom Tongs" that were invented by Dr. Larry Pillstrom in Arkansas.  She said indeed that was the man she was talking about and that he was her children's pediatrician!  She knew the whole family!  We then discussed Dr. Pillstrom for a short while. 

          Pillstrom tongs came in varying sizes; we have two shown here. 

For you younger herpers, Dr. Larry Pillstrom invented the Pillstrom Tongs in the early 1950s.  He even had a paper published about them in, I believe, Herpetologica (publication of the SSAR).  Pillstrom tongs were the snake handling equipment for the ages, along with a good snake hook, usually made from a golf club.  We were lucky enough to have Dr. Pillstrom come to a herp show/sale we held years ago, and it was quite exciting for everyone there to meet this legend.  Unfortunately he was in poor health, and has since passed away, but we treasure our tongs.  His sons were trying to find someone to keep manufacturing them, but to no avail.  There are many other tongs available now, good substitutes,  but not of the same configuration.  Suffice it to say, our original set is over 40 yeas old, and work as good as new.

As for Dr. Pillstrom, I never knew he was a pediatrician!  Never asked actually, always assumed he was in the scientific world of herps and/or biology in general.  So herpers come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, with one common interest...the welfare of their animals.  Let's hope Dr. Pillstrom delivered a whole lot of baby herpers, or at least herp-loving individuals!