a lot of people don't remember ross allen's reptile institute in ocala at silver springs. guess what the main attraction was. the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. and thom's job, of which he earned enough money to put himself through school, was to milk those rattlesnakes. now, clearly that's a tourist attraction because that's a fascinating thing when you see that thing coiled up ready to strike and you stick a stick down there and pin his head and then reach down behind the head and pick him up and you've got this six-foot rattlesnake. but there's a purpose to this other than charming your guest. you squeeze behind that head, and the mouth opens, and those two fangs come out, and you put those fangs down into a glass, and you milk that rattlesnake. and that poisonous venom then collected and stored becomes the basis for the anti-snakebite serum that has saved so many lives. i remember one time he actually went back after he had been judge and prosecutor and all these things and he told me he was invited to come back to ross allen's reptile institute and he said when he w