Gators and Wildcats and Snakes, Oh My!
Augustus Milton Nicholson was the first taxidermist in Orlando. His shop, located somewhere along West Church Street between Orange and Garland avenues, had a large pen in back containing live snakes and other reptiles that Nicholson caught in the Florida wilds.
Orlozoo: Delmar Nicholson’s Wild Journey to Create the Orlando Municipal Zoo
By 1932, there was serious discussion in Orlando about creating a city zoo, which residents believed would attract thousands of families and tourists. Both Sanford and Kissimmee already had successful zoos; why shouldn’t their city have one, too?